Leading electrification specialist, Equipmake, showcased its latest pure electric bus technology at the ITT Hub, Farnborough, in the shape of a repowered double decker

The fully electric Volvo B5LH displayed  the company’s cutting-edge repower solution, which has been developed at Equipmake’s base in Norfolk and upgrades existing hybrid and diesel buses with state-of-the art battery drivetrains. The same drivetrain technology is also used in Equipmake’s new bus offering, the Jewel E.

Equipmake’s repower technology programme involves an inspection of each bus to ensure its adaptability to its unique, scalable modular electric chassis. Once its suitability is verified, the process itself will be quick, with up to five repowers a week being able to be completed, ensuring a working bus is kept off the road for as short a time as possible.

Each repower is tailored to specific operator requirements, with service routes simulated to ensure the correct battery power level is selected for optimum performance and efficiency, and guaranteed driving ranges of 150 to 250 miles achievable. This is more than sufficient for a complete duty cycle, allowing buses to be recharged overnight.

As well as bringing environmental benefits, Equipmake’s repower programme makes sense from a cost perspective, with each conversion coming in at less than half the price of a new electric bus. And with most buses expected to remain in service for 14 years or beyond, operators can still make significant efficiencies by repowering a bus halfway through its working life.  

The company also offers a totally new e-bus, the Jewel E, which it has developed with Spanish bus builder Beulas. Designed and developed from the ground up to deliver clean, cost-effective zero emission urban transportation in any town or city across the globe, Jewel E’s modular battery pack has options of up to 543kWh, with a maximum of 300 miles on a single charge. It will begin in-service trials with London’s largest bus operator, Go-Ahead, in the coming months.