Mellor will expand its Sigma battery-electric bus range as far as a 13.5m model, the manufacturer has revealed. Presently the Sigma line-up is available at lengths between 7-12m, and while the longer Sigma 13 is being driven by requirements in Scandinavia, it will be offered in the UK if demand dictates.
Over 130 orders for the Sigma range have now been taken from customers in Europe, with parent WN VTech Group Business Development Director Gustavo Marqueta saying that Mellor believes the Sigma range can “disrupt the market” via its extensive range of variants.
In addition to domestic customers in the commercial sector that include Shuttle Buses and Whippet, Mellor is working with a number of UK local authorities on the Sigma. It has also seen success in Germany and, in particular, in Sweden.
Debuting at Busworld recently was the Sigma 9 low-floor. It is a 9.4m, 13,000kg GVW model that is available with either 210 or 255kW/h of energy storage and which can carry up to 60 passengers.
On the planned Sigma 13, Mr Marqueta explains that the additional length over a Sigma 12 will be entirely within the wheelbase. It has come about thanks to a requirement in some Nordic applications for an increase in seat pitch, where that need is particularly the case on longer-distance work.
