Scania is taking a major step towards the electrification of new market segments with the unveiling of its new high-floor battery-electric bus and coach platform at Busworld Europe. The introduction of the new BEV platform enables Scania to provide battery-electric high-floor buses and coaches for both Urban and Travel segment applications.
Perhaps most notably, the platform is being used for the company's battery-electric coaches, which have a range of up to 600 km and luggage space that is almost equal to that of combustion engine coaches – an important factor for coach companies to switch to electric vehicles.
This makes the product suitable for, for example, inter-city transport over medium distances, airport shuttles and coaches for sports teams.
Suitable for both rural and urban applications
In addition, the new platform can accommodate the needs of shorter inter-city operations or to build school buses or sightseeing buses that don’t have the same luggage space requirements. The high-floor battery electric platform is also designed for urban applications, by offering a scalable pathway to zero-emission bus rapid transit systems used in towns and cities in regions like Africa, Asia and South America.
Flexibility in the platform and charging solution
The technology at the heart of the platform has been tried and tested, from e-machine to batteries, charging interface and more, and the platform is compatible with a variety of bodies. On the power side, it offers adaptability in terms of the e-machine output with up to 330 kW, while the installed energy is up to 534 kWh (with 480 kWh of available energy). This also applies to the charging capacity, which is a maximum of 325 kW (500 A).
The launch of Scania’s high-floor battery-electric platform comes at a time when transport electrification is rapidly expanding beyond purely urban applications in Europe and other markets worldwide. This is accompanied by a growing demand from coach operators for various charging solutions, depending on different operational needs.
Scania plays a key role in enabling this change with a comprehensive ecosystem of electrification services and its ability to offer complete and tailor-made charging solutions, such as smart charging, which allows operators to avoid peaks in energy costs and maintain battery performance. This means they can benefit from predictable prices, full cost transparency and simple payment solutions. This is complemented by the user-friendly Scania Charging Access service, which opens up a growing network of public charging stations adapted for heavy commercial vehicles to operators.
“With the launch of the new high-floor BEV platform, Scania is not only introducing our first battery-electric coaches but also reinforcing our position as a trusted partner in the transition to sustainable transport,” says Carl-Johan Lööf, Head of Product Management for People Transport Solutions at Scania.