The team at Bus Stop Sales continues to forge new paths in the zero-emissions sphere. With industry veterans on board and the largest range of electric buses in the market, Bus Stop is set to become a market leader in the new energy field.
Since the successful launch of the company’s full electric high floor bus last year, the Bus Stop team has accelerated its range. It now includes a highly specified EVolution low floor bus chassis as well as a Volgren fully built body product.
This push for more zero-emissions innovation saw the recent appointment of industry veteran Stephen Long as Bus Stop’s general manager of national fleets.
“Since I’ve returned to retailing King Long product, I’ve noticed the focus of the Bus Stop group to define quality, develop tailored customer solutions and a definite focus on leading electric bus options,” Long told ABC.
“Bus Stop has invested a great deal to create the highest specification e-chassis, helping us deliver an electric low floor chassis that is the standout among its peers.”
“We know that local and state governments are pushing for local build content and to meet this need, we have led the creation of the Volgren body option, packaged alongside the EVolution chassis.”
Long says Bus Stop, as the sole distributor of King Long, is well poised to take advantage of the shift to zero-emission buses. The company’s historical experience of developing and bringing Chinese-built buses to market has assisted the group to focus on the best customer solution with the best quality components.
Long says King Long has been an exceptional partner that is very focused on customising the most innovative and highest quality products for the market.
When it comes to the nitty gritty of the new King Long model, it boasts German made ZF steering, axles and differential, as well as a top quality drive motor made by Canadian group DANA and CATL batteries.
Long says the single DANA drive motor is more direct than other drive systems that require transmissions and a lot of complex programming, let alone increased servicing time and costs. The product features either the 350kw or 422 kilowatt CATL battery pack to give excellent range depending on the application.
Long says Bus Stop also worked with King Long to introduce an additional retarder type mechanism as an option on the new bus models, giving skilled drivers a greater chance to regeneratively brake.
It is believed that this was a world first initiative developed by the product’s Queensland support team.
A retarder is a well-known application to diesel vehicles for years. Now, the introduction of it to King Long’s electric chassis means operators can use the engine brake rather than the foot brake to create regenerative energy and increase the vehicle’s range.
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Despite the building crescendo of excitement towards the new low floor products, Long is adamant Bus Stop’s electric range isn’t limited to the low floor bus. Bus Stop also distributes a King Long high floor school vehicle which is already fully compliant and operating with a customer on the Gold Coast in addition to the 12-14 seat Joylong mini bus.
“We’ve been having great results with our electric school bus customer in Queensland regarding our school electric bus,” Long says. “Alongside this delivery, we have worked with the school to share knowledge learnt at our Rocklea super site to include how best to reduce emissions through the use of solar panels and a complete environmental impact focus.”
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On the smaller side of electric vehicles, Bus Stop also has the mini Joylong bus in the market. The fully electric 12 to 14 seat mini bus is fully Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant and can be fitted with a wheelchair lift.
With a range of 260 to 300 kilometres from a single charge lasting roughly four hours, Long says the Joylong has been made as a smaller and simple electric option for local garages and households requiring an environmentally friendly mini bus.
Bus Stop’s electric innovation isn’t simply limited to its fleet of new-age vehicles. White has also invested to ensure Bus Stop has created the local industry’s first public charge point through a partnership with Tritium that allows Bus Stop to share its super charger to the general public.
Currently, the novel piece of charging infrastructure is seeing a stream of public electric cars flocking to it to charge each day.
When asked about hydrogen developments, White’s strategy is clearly focused on electric as opposed to alternative fuels such as hydrogen.
“Alternative fuels are exciting, however we believe that the focus is on electric buses for the foreseeable future,” White told ABC.
Long says his start to life with Bus Stop has been dynamic and exciting as he continues to dream of expanding Bus Stop’s electric range even further with White and the team.
Since he last sold King Long buses, Long says the historical concerns with Chinese-built buses has long since faded and King Long has been at the cutting edge of electric buses for more than a decade.
With many tens of thousands of electric buses already on the road around the world, the highly refined vehicles and solutions on offer are far beyond early trial.
Long says he’ll continue forging his path at Bus Stop by fulfilling market requirements and keeping stock available for King Long’s growing range of Australian electric buses. For example, the group has invested in more than 10 full electric bus options that are available now in stock.
Long knows that Bus Stop’s new energy venture won’t stop at the new King Long low floor product.
“Pete and his family have been in the bus industry for a long time and Bus Stop is a terrific family business,” Long says. “It’s safe to say that Pete has brought Bus Stop’s electric range to a point where it keeps improving by the month.
“Pete has great vision with new exciting projects in the pipeline, so there’s more coming soon.”