With the presentation of the Grand Awards Coach and Bus as well as the Labels of Excellence for Safety Bus, Ecology Coach, Ecology Bus and Design yesterday evening, Yutong confirmed its commitment to the European bus and coach market. “That result is hardly surprising,” says Marc Van Houtte, chairman of the jury for the Busworld Awards. “Yutong has put its full focus on the competition.”
Yutong dominated the Busworld Awards for Coach and Bus with three vehicles: the Yutong Bus T14E, the Yutong Bus IC12E and the Yutong Bus U15. The Chinese manufacturer thereby secured two Grand Awards and four Label of Excellence distinctions. “That Yutong achieved such a result is not surprising,” states jury chairman Marc Van Houtte.
“They have in recent years listened attentively to what type of vehicles and what level of comfort the European market demands. Moreover, they have focused on the competition and built specific vehicles for it. For instance, we saw a coach with massage seats and seat heating for passengers, with individual screens integrated into the backrests of the seats in front, or specific smartphone holders. The driver had a badge to access the coach. These are things we have not yet seen in Europe. Yutong has gone all out for the Busworld Awards and given the vehicles a new, European look.”
Signal
“We must also view these Awards for Yutong as a signal. On the one hand, to the European bus manufacturers, that for a competition such as the Busworld Awards they should no longer submit a vehicle that is already as good as sold, but that they too must think about further innovations. On the other hand, we can assume that other Chinese bus manufacturers will pick up on Yutong’s success and further refine their vehicles for the next Busworld Awards,” adds Marc Van Houtte.
Praise for plug-in hybrid coach
Looking back at the various candidates for the Busworld Awards, the jury chairman notes that it was also a confrontation with diverse technologies. “Among the coaches there were still two diesel vehicles, from Setra and Neoplan. Battery-electric vehicles were submitted by Yutong (T14E, IC12E) and Otokar (e-Territo).
Although the range of battery-electric coaches is increasing to some 500–600 km, it still remains insufficient for long-distance day trips. The hybrid Scania Irizar i6S Efficient PHEV with an electric range of up to 70 km is a fine compromise. The coach can, if necessary, be charged beforehand in the depot, you can choose to recuperate the energy released during braking while on the road and also store it. In the coach sector, this hybrid Scania is an entirely new concept. Moreover, it answers the shortage of charging points for electric coaches and the fact that sometimes slots must be reserved in advance. In terms of comfort and safety, Setra remains a benchmark among coaches.”
QR code
Of the six zero-emission buses entered for the Busworld Awards, five were battery-electric. CaetanoBus was the only hydrogen fuel-cell bus, and more specifically in an 18-metre-long version for a Bus Rapid Transit system. “In terms of comfort of the public transport buses, the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro and the Yutong Bus U15 were close to one another. Under the safety theme, we looked at fire prevention and battery pack safety as well as safety provisions for driver and passengers.
As far as safety is concerned, some manufacturers applied a QR code on the exterior that allows emergency services such as the fire brigade to click through to a technical sheet explaining the electric drive. However, this still happens too inconsistently and sometimes remains limited to a single sticker, whereas it must be applied in multiple locations to be truly effective. On this point, for the future, proper and consistent QR-code labelling on all vehicles must certainly be worked on,” adds Marc Van Houtte.
Twelve candidates for Busworld Awards
In the selection for the Busworld Awards twelve vehicles were evaluated. Yutong was present with three vehicles (Yutong Bus T14E, Yutong Bus IC12E, Yutong Bus U15), Daimler Buses participated with the Setra S 515 HD and the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro. Scania presented the hybrid Scania Irizar i6S Efficient PHEV, MAN Truck & Bus selected the Neoplan Skyliner for the competition while BMC chose the 12m Procity EV. Otokar entered the Otokar e-Territo 13 and the Otokar e-Kent. Ebusco competed with the Ebusco 3.0 and CaetanoBus introduced the H2. City Gold.