Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) announced that it is developing two new electric buses, a new small one and a new electric double decker. The new products are fully designed and integrated in-house using own ADL-expertise. Production is scheduled to start in 2023 and first customer deliveries are expected late 2023. ADL emphasizes that the two new products complement the highly successful products of the BYD ADL partnership, which will continue to be sold and supported.
ADL calls it “a stunning new design language”, developed in house by one of the manufacturer’s talented industrial designers with input from students of Coventry University’s Automotive and Transport Design course. The design highlights the zero emission credentials, “allowing operators to make a bold statement that both underlines and showcases their clean transport investment”. Buses for the United Kingdom and Ireland will be fully built in Britain. Details and technical specifications will be released over the coming months.
Internationally, the new platform will be tailored to the requirements of cities, transport authorities and bus companies in each territory. The recently announced order for Enviro500EV electric double deckers in Hong Kong will be part of this new generation of zero emission buses.
The hugely successful battery electric BYD ADL Enviro200EV and BYD ADL Enviro400EV products built in partnership with BYD will continue to be offered in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, giving operators an unrivalled choice of solutions. Alexander Dennis’s second-generation hydrogen bus, the Enviro400FCEV, will also continue to form an important part of the company’s zero-emission bus range and will be delivered to launch customer Liverpool City Region later this year.
“We have always been highly respected for our product innovation, and throughout this difficult period for our industry we have continued to challenge our engineering team to evolve our range. The result will be a brand new fully in-house designed, integrated electric double deck and small bus product giving our customers access to the latest zero-emission vehicle technology from a single, trusted source”, says President & Managing Director Paul Davies.
The move brings Alexander Dennis’s range of battery electric buses in line with the company’s long-established strategy of offering its own, integrated vehicles alongside buses built on selected partners’ chassis to ensure customers have the widest range of solutions available to meet their individual requirements.