Ultra Low Emission bus research partnership
A UK consortium led by Wrightbus and including Magtec, Chargemaster and Cambridge University is to carry out research in ways to develop a common platform to power Ultra Low Emission (ULE) buses. The three year venture will utilise market leading technology to research, design and integrate pioneering charging concepts and produce a system suitable for powering a range of ULE buses. The integrated ‘power floor’ system being developed is expected to power pure electric or range extended electric vehicles. The project partners have secured partial funding for this work from a research and development competition managed by the government backed Advanced Propulsion Centre. The objective of the partners is to demonstrate the opportunity for reducing bus emissions through the use of a common platform specifically developed so it may be integrated into a range of ULE vehicles. A production ready system is expected to be available within a three year timeframe.
Co-Founder & Director of Wrights Group, Dr William Wright CBE, said, ‘Wrightbus is a company where innovation and technology is at the core of everything we do, and we have led the way in the practical development of clean vehicle technology in buses over many years. This project brings an interesting new dimension to the development of ULE bus technology and seeks to find responsible solutions to the world’s environmental challenges. This exciting new initiative, in close co-operation with our project partners, is a key strand of our on-going work to deliver the next generation of truly environmentally friendly public transport.’
MD at Magtec, Marcus Jenkins, said, ‘Magtec is the UK’s leading supplier of high performance drive systems for electric and hybrid commercial vehicles and we are delighted to be part of this project to develop the next generation of ULE buses. This project collaboration combines industry leaders and innovators to create a robust, innovative and cost-effective ULE bus, powered by the most advanced propulsion technologies in order to reduce CO2 emissions in both hybrid and pure electric vehicles. We are extremely pleased to be able to play an active part in the project research, which will see the tangible demonstration of technologies on a modern ULE bus.’