Other Body Builders Discussion / Observations

[tonyp]

I see in news from the US that GM is advising owners of their Bolt electric cars to park in the open at least 50 feet from any other vehicle in case their car catches fire, also to be in attendance at all times while the car is charging. (I sometimes think of those houses where the main bedroom is located over the garage. I guess that would be a way of being in attendance, as long as you're a light sleeper.) I don't think we're going to hear the end of this any time soon, though there are technology changes emerging that should reduce the risk of this happening.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/15/gm-advi ... -cars.html

[1whoknows]

There are also several videos going around FB showing electric bus fires in China, both individual ones and at least one group fire. Hopefully the technology will evolve over time to reduce or eliminate these issues. Its really no different to past issues with other technolgies - remember those exploding mobiles from a decade ago?

[Orana aesthetic]

https://youtu.be/O9CfwTbGME8
Ebusco 3.0 in service. Note the true low floor section (no trench) behind the rear wheels. The last image at https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ9GSu4NT0F/ shows this well. The only elevated (high floor) seats are those over the wheels and the ones in the back row.

[Mr OC Benz]

Good to see the Ebusco 3.0 finally enter service. It has some impressive design features. They have been receiving some pretty sizeable orders in Europe in recent months, so it seems like confidence is high in the new model and the manufacturer (who has only appeared on the scene as part of the electric bus evolution).

Batteries mounted in the floor (resulting in less body roll compared to most of the electric bus types in Australia), fully flat floor to the rear with a wide aisle even at the rear axle thanks to its lightweight carbon body only necessitating single rear tyres, and a range of up to 575km. It is also supposedly only 2.5m wide, and Ebusco has previously signalled its intention to enter the Australian market, so with a bit of luck, I hope we see the Ebusco 3.0 in Australia soon.

[tonyp]

https://youtu.be/O9CfwTbGME8
Ebusco 3.0 in service. Note the true low floor section (no trench) behind the rear wheels. The last image at https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ9GSu4NT0F/ shows this well. The only elevated (high floor) seats are those over the wheels and the ones in the back row.

Thanks for that, much appreciated. This is a standard European bus design (as is the Custom Denning Element), so no surprises there. What will be interesting to see are the batteries which are supposed to be somehow under the floor to lower the centre of gravity.

While I understand what they've achieved with the offside seats at the rear being on the floor, the seat pitch and height difference doesn't look terribly comfortable compared to when they're on a low plinth, as in most European buses and the Element. I know it's a desirable goal to get as many seats as possible on the low floor (Solaris tries to do this too), but sometimes plinths are actually OK because it's easy enough to bum-slide into the seats on them and easier for an older person with bad knees to get up out of them. It's not the in the same boat as climbing and descending stairs.

It will be good to see this come to Australia to augment the supply of accessible bus models that are actually well-designed, which is a rare commodity in Australia.

[eddy]

Hey Tony this is the email I sent to the Premier regarding tourism.

There are some bus lovers that may come to Sydney to experience the Trailerbus https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/ ... top-button between the Airport and northern beaches.

[Orana aesthetic]

I know it's a desirable goal to get as many seats as possible on the low floor (Solaris tries to do this too), but sometimes plinths are actually OK because it's easy enough to bum-slide into the seats on them and easier for an older person with bad knees to get up out of them. It's not the in the same boat as climbing and descending stairs.

There's still a step to get up to the window seats, so the person with bad knees had better hope the bus is loaded lightly enough to have the option of choosing an aisle seat. Any sort of step from the aisle to the seating corridor requires the person in the window seat to step down when exiting, while simultaneously moving past any occupant in the aisle seat and trying to keep track of where the step is in relation to their feet - which can be tricky in a crowded space with poor visibility. A flat floor from the seating corridor to the aisle allows the window occupant to just focus on getting past the person in the aisle seat.

[tonyp]

There's still a step to get up to the window seats, so the person with bad knees had better hope the bus is loaded lightly enough to have the option of choosing an aisle seat. Any sort of step from the aisle to the seating corridor requires the person in the window seat to step down when exiting, while simultaneously moving past any occupant in the aisle seat and trying to keep track of where the step is in relation to their feet - which can be tricky in a crowded space with poor visibility. A flat floor from the seating corridor to the aisle allows the window occupant to just focus on getting past the person in the aisle seat.

That's quite true of course, but, speaking as a person with bad knees, I'm well aware of the best/second best option hierarchy and, when there are no other seats, a seat on a modest-height plinth is in reality a decent alternative. If you want the window seat, the person in the aisle seat usually gets up anyway because the seat pitch in buses is too tight to squeeze past knees. You are right in principle and I agree with you, but it's not black and white.

That flat floor behind the rear axle makes me marvel at how they got the motor and shaft under the low floor. Unless they're hub motors?

[ScaniaGrenda]

EBUSCO TO BRING 2.2 ELECTRIC MODEL TO EXPO (2022 Sydney Bus Expo)

https://www.busnews.com.au/product-news ... el-to-expo

Anyone from here going to this years expo and possibly able to get photos?

[1whoknows]

The place will be full of enthusiasts, myself included, and doubtless FB will be flooded with pics.

[Orana aesthetic]

Finally a decent look at the Arrival Bus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2prNg9FDUdA

Likely to come to Australia eventually - assuming the struggling company survives, that is.

[tonyp]

Finally a decent look at the Arrival Bus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2prNg9FDUdA

Likely to come to Australia eventually - assuming the struggling company survives, that is.

A lot is still unclear about this and I see problems for introducing it on the Australian market. It seems to be designed as a LHD three door bus (in 12 metre variant) that can be adapted to one/two door RHD (also in 10 metres). In the video, they say it has four motors (which would have to be high maintenance hub motors), but online information suggests it has just one motor with rear wheel drive. So which is it then? Because of the glazed roof (which would not go well in Australia), the batteries appear to be housed in large boxes over each wheel arch, or maybe also under the bus, which is a potential fire risk to passengers. Also because of this, the rear wheels are only single wheels, which presents a problem for axle load. Between that and the interior battery boxes, this means capacity is restricted, notably seating capacity which is in the 30s and has no hope of rising above the necessary (for Australia) 40 because of the non-availability of the wheel arches for seating.

[eddy]

Finally a decent look at the Arrival Bus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2prNg9FDUdA

Likely to come to Australia eventually - assuming the struggling company survives, that is.

Thanks for the link.
How wide and what weight is allowed on the super singles?
Love the mirrors that I think are the best part.
If the motor stops with the steer wheels turned I doubt if a little girl can straighten them so people can alight but I suppose that is when they use the emergency door.

[ScaniaGrenda]

Transit Graphics have teased us with some photos of what will be at the Sydney bus Expo for tomorrow & Thursday, as much as I'd love to be going myself I am unfortunately on call for work and wouldn't be able to make it sadly.

[tonyp]

NZ bus manufacturer Zemtec has released its locally designed and built electric bus. There is nothing on their website about the launch and the only press I can find has basic information. I guess you can say that it's NZ's equivalent of the CD Element - a 12 metre bus with a fully low floor.

Unfortunately the only video is obscured by the inevitable politician's talking head:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/130127 ... -efficient

A bit more meat here:

https://transporttalk.co.nz/news/abb-te ... -bus-fleet

https://www.busnews.com.au/product-news ... ectric-bus

[tonyp]

A little bit more footage where you can actually see past the politician briefly:

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/technolo ... torua.html

Apparently it's pronounced "Zimtec" over there.

[Mr OC Benz]

Zemtec have updated their website and have added many more photos of the actual bus to their gallery page.
https://www.zemtec-ev.com/

[tonyp]

Some more specification detail would be nice to see eventually. Zemtec must either have been watching over Custom Denning's shoulder when they designed this, or they're independently tuned into best practice in modern city bus design. Their CEO used to work for Custom and had an ownership share in Bustech. Lots of pluses in the design, but does appear to have hub motors which are a minus from a maintenance pov.

[ScaniaGrenda]

And now Hino has announced withdrawal of sales of the Poncho Minibus, commonly seen in Australia with either a couple of private retirement homes or also best seen on Various on demand routes.

https://www.busnews.com.au/industry-new ... -australia

[MotorOmnibus8562]

First Scania Electric bus in Australia?
https://twitter.com/AussieWirraway/stat ... mQSCw&s=19

[tonyp]

First Scania Electric bus in Australia?
https://twitter.com/AussieWirraway/stat ... mQSCw&s=19

I hope Bustech have kept the fully low floor that this chassis enables.

[Lt. Commander Data]

First Scania Electric bus in Australia?
https://twitter.com/AussieWirraway/stat ... mQSCw&s=19

I hope Bustech have kept the fully low floor that this chassis enables.

The flat window line suggests that maybe they have! Here’s hoping, anyway. Coupled with the dual centre door, all door boarding a possibility, and would be invaluable on city loops (which is presumably what these will be doing to start with).

I only wish they had integrated the roof pod into the design a bit better

[Guy_Arab]

I HOPE OUR ONCES DO NOT HAVE THE PROBLEMS IN ASIA LIKE CATCHING FIRE
GUY ARAB

[tonyp]

It seems that it's running at least six months late.

https://dit.sa.gov.au/news?a=1116687

[tonyp]

The Scania electric chassis is basically the N series diesel chassis, retaining what was I presume the cooling system tower in the rear nearside corner, but using it for electronics. It does mean a loss of two seats in the back row, but at least has a stepless floor. It is not converted to RHD at the rear, so on the offside rear there's space for the European third (rear) door, but infilled with a framework to support seats in the Australian model. With a body it should look roughly like this at the rear - but with the tower on the nearside, not the offside.

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