Bus Stop Sales has been quietly working in the background to produce its latest range of electric bus and coach options. Now, it’s starting to bear fruit.
Alongside reinvigorated manufacturer King Long, Bus Stop Sales has introduced a historic new sustainable coach to the Australian market.
In an Australian first, the zero-emission coach known as the EVolution high floor is the country’s first 100 per cent electric high floor coach that is fully compliant and available now.
For Bus Stop Sales’ dealer principal Pete White, it’s been a long time coming.
“Bus Stop Sales has put a significant amount of energy into being at the front of the curve for new energy bus and coach models,” White told ABC.
“We are currently the sole supplier in the market across all brands with a general manager position focused on new energy to help support operators as they transition from diesel to new energy solutions.
“As part our focus on zero-emissions technology, our acquisition and development of Australia’s first high floor fully-electric coach is the next step along our development.”
White says the new model has been well received amongst customers, as the Queensland-based company vows to continue supporting renewable energy sources.
Bus Stop Sales’ latest electric coach model is another way the business can support its clients throughout the whole process, whether it be for diesel or electric products. White says the EVolution high floor model is another way in which Bus Stop Sales can become an end-to-end solutions provider and offer an array of buses to support its customers’ needs.
What makes this ground-breaking coach model special is that it was designed by Bus Stop Sales and King Long from the ground up. White says this full design process means the model took two years to release onto the market.
“The best support for us on this project was the can-do attitude of our manufacturing partner in King Long,” White says.
“What makes us most proud in the EVolution high floor electric coach is the world–class components we’ve invested in heavily to provide a high specification of product that leads the market.”
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These specifications include some of Australia’s best bus and coach parts. White says Bus Stop Sales and King Long invested in a world-class ZF axle and a VDO dash that is akin to those seen in luxury consumer cars to produce a product that is the highest quality of its kind in the Australian market.
The EVolution has a number of seating options, ranging from 44 to 51 seats, and can be built with both imported and locally manufactured seats solutions. The current demonstration coach on display from Bus Stop Sales features black leather seats from Sege.
With a CATL battery providing up to 422kW of power and a nine-phase Sumo DANA drive motor, White says the latest EVolution model stands alone and is a real competitor within the electric vehicle space.
AT THE FOREFRONT
Bus Stop Sales’ commitment to providing a new range of fully electric bus and coaches has been taken a step further. White says the appointment of Martin Hall to general manager of new energy is a major move for Bus Stop Sales in terms of its future direction in renewable energy sources.
Hall says he is proud to be part of the EVolution Coach launch and the relationship Bus Stop Sales has with King Long.
“It is a game changer as it’s the only viable option for operators looking to make that electric leap of faith with high floor coaches,” Hall told ABC.
“We’re very proud of the position we’re in – while there’s around 70 electric low floor coaches driving around the country, our new high floor model has been out and driving kilometres.
“It’s a proud moment to be able to realise it and not just talk about it. With a background in bus operations, I’m overwhelmed with its performance as well as its ability to perform consistently in diverse scenarios such as the Toowoomba Range and the Gold Coast Hinterland.”
King Long has been developing zero-emissions buses since 2001 and has previously developed the first hybrid energy coach utilising lead acid batteries.
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White says King Long’s participation in this latest innovation in the Australian electric coach market proves the positive impact global manufacturers can have on the local bus building industry.
“We have all moved past the build and finish concerns once associated with Chinese imported products,” White says.
“The reality is that China leads the world in electric bus numbers and development, so we are far beyond the prototyping that is still occurring with many European manufacturers.”
The EVolution high floor coach model is just the start of Bus Stop Sales’ investment in electric design options. White says Bus Stop Sales is far beyond the trial stage when it comes to its latest wave of electric buses.
He says the industry can expect more ground-breaking Bus Stop Sales models to be released onto the market in coming months.
“There’s a number of other fully electric products we have in development that we’re looking forward to bringing to the market,” White says.
“There is great work happening by both King Long and our partners in the low floor and urban bus arena.
“Now that we have fully tested and released the EVolution high floor, there’s certainly more to come.”