51 points?

Jonathan Welch puts the new Yutong U11DD demonstrator through its paces on Sheffield’s hilly route 51

It’s only a decade or so ago that Chinese-made buses didn’t have a great reputation in the UK, King Long having tried to make its mark but without lasting success. One of my own first jobs when I joined the CBW team was to cover an event marking the 500th Yutong sold in the UK, achieved in just five years, and with the team at importer Pelican Bus & Coach aiming to ramp up the number of deliveries many-fold.

Of course, the pandemic intervened, but at the same time, the move to electric buses, and to a lesser extent coaches, has helped the manufacturer gain a growing foothold in the UK market, backed by the experience of having delivered many thousands of vehicles in its home country already. The E10 and E12 electric buses have become a familiar sight in many places, along with the newer E9, whilst the Tce12 electric coach can be found pounding Scottish motorways on express routes, as well as with diverse English operators.

The obvious next step was a double-decker, and that was presented to the public for the first time at Busworld in Brussels; a second example was already in the UK and heading for trials with the first of a number of well-known operators up and down the country. Existing Yutong customer Newport Transport has already ordered the first two production vehicles.

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For a good while now, operators wanting an electric double-decker have had two main choices: the long-standing BYD ADL Enviro400EV or a Wrightbus Electroliner, launched in 2021, with Volvo’s BZL now starting to gain ground. Optare’s Metrodecker provided another option, but one which has thus far only been bought by a small number of operators, no doubt hindered by perception following significant delays in delivery of a batch of diesel versions to Reading Buses, whilst the Beulas Jewel E has not yet progressed beyond the initial vehicle.

So the arrival of a new kid on the block is an interesting one. Having seen the red demonstrator in Brussels, CBW was invited to get behind the wheel and put Yutong’s new U11DD to the test on Sheffield’s demanding route 51, courtesy of operator First South Yorkshire. First is in the process of trialling a number of electric buses; prior to the Yutong, it took both single- and double-deck Volvo BZL demonstrators, and also has plans to test a Wrightbus Electroliner from the batch recently delivered to nearby First York, plus expects to test the new Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV once that is available in the new year.

Test route

All of the buses have been trialled on the 51, which has for many years been the route of choice for new vehicle testing; both the Dennis Dominator and Alexander PS-Type Volvo B10M pictured alongside the Yutong in some of the accompanying images were tested on (and subsequently operated on) the route. The cross-city route is one which passes through a variety of environments, including narrow estate roads, wider and faster main arteries, not to mention that it starts on one of Sheffield’s famous hills, dropping down hundreds of feet into the city centre before climbing back up again on the other side.

I met with First’s UK Fleet Manager Andy Metcalfe at its historic Olive Grove depot, the base for the new vehicle tests, where after a short introductory chat we headed out for a drive, our plans for some scenic photo-stops being somewhat undermined by the thick mist enveloping the landscape.

Unsurprisingly, the cab layout reflects that found on the E9, E10 and E12 models, making for an easy transition for drivers of mixed fleets. Looking around as I settled into the smart, high-backed driver’s seat fitted to this demonstrator, on my left are grouped switches for functions such as interior and exterior lighting, the electric sun blind, steering wheel adjustment and a nifty one which blows a jet of air onto the lens of the external camera mirror system to clear any debris. Along with the usual white, blue or yellow night or mood lighting is also selectable. Hazard warning lights and the main on-off switch complete the line-up.

First’s standard Ticketer ticket machine was mounted close enough to be able to reach, but far enough so as not to get in the way when entering the cab. Being used to driving buses with coin vaults, it wasn’t until Andy pointed it out that I noticed the lack of a coin tray. In a world where contactless or e-tickets are becoming the norm, it wasn’t immediately obvious – and Pelican points out that Fabtac is able to supply a suitable cash tray of First’s own design as an option. A cash vault is also an option for operators which require one.

Screens galore

One thing the cab isn’t short of is screens. Starting in the centre of the dashboard, the large centre console gives all of the information most drivers will ever need. An analogue-style and digital speedo to the left make for easy driving, mirrored to the right hand side by a power meter and indication of the gear selected. Air pressure, state of charge, mileage and range complete the display, along with the date, time and usual warning lights or symbols.

On this example, a camera mirror system means screens to the left and right hand side of the driver give standard and wide-angle views of the road alongside and behind, whilst above the windscreen a further screen showed a split view, one half a 360-degree all-round view, the other showing a forward-looking view of the bus’ surroundings from the rear, adjusting the angle according to whether the left or right indicator was selected.

More about the camera mirror system once we get on the road, but I’m not sure how much everyday value the other two bring. They’re nice to have, and probably handy in an occasional and unexpected tight situation, but I found that looking at a small screen out of my line of sight was more a distraction than a help; especially when coupled with the camera mirror system, a simple rear-view camera would have completed my vision all around the bus and presented a larger clearer image. The system itself, I should add, seemed to work well and offer a suitable view according to which way I signalled, backed up by markings appearing on the standard mirror view to show my rear axle and tailswing.

One screen that was missing, and something that both myself and Andy agreed was an unusual thing not to feature, was a view of the top deck. Although Pelican explained, with some degree of logic, that the nature of the production buses will mean that each operator can fit its preferred CCTV system, which will include suitable views of the upper saloon, it seems an oversight not to have included a basic single-camera view on the demonstrators from the start; I’m told it’s something that Pelican is working on.

Moving around to the driver’s right hand side, a traditional handbrake is fitted, which I found to be both ideally located for reach, and not an excessively long throw from one position to the other. A bus stop brake, as often seen on European city buses, located in the form of a small lever alongside the steering wheel, means that on the road, the handbrake isn’t always necessary, a flick of the finger without taking a hand of the steering wheel is all that’s needed to hold the bus.

Also on the right are the gear selector and door and kneeling controls, all within easy reach and easy to operate. I discovered that the kneeling function requires the doors to be open (as opposed to only operating when they are closed on some buses), and that if the button was released before the bus was fully lowered, it would return to normal height. A manual wheelchair ramp is fitted, with a handle in the centre; not my personal preference, I find long handles on the side easier to use as the driver can remain upright, but this arrangement does tend to be more durable and less prone to breaking in use.

Interestingly, whilst I found the cab quite roomy, Andy commented that because he sat further back, and due to the steep taper from front to back, he found it a little too narrow. Something we both noticed was that the driver’s position is quite far back from the windscreen. Once on the road and after acclimatising to it, I didn’t find it a problem, though.

Last but not least, the magnetic cab door is worthy of mention. It has been designed to eliminate the rattles and movement associated with traditional latches, and performed that design brief faultlessly during my drive. A good size cab door pocket is also a useful touch, as were the pen trays on the door itself and the double coat hook behind the driver’s seat.

On the road

So, the bit many of you have been waiting for; what’s it like to drive? As always, the first few yards out of the gate were the worst. As we headed through Sheffield towards Manor Top, where we briefly mingled with trams before diverting off towards the route 51 terminus, it was obvious why the route had been chosen.

As I settled in to the drive, I took the opportunity to see what the bus, empty though it was, could do on the uphill stretch. Compared to a diesel, any electric bus will munch hills without much of a second thought, and the U11DD powered onwards, having no trouble maintaining 30mph. The demonstrators both carry 385kWh of battery capacity, although 422kWh is an option; for the former, a theoretical maximum range of up to 490km (around 300 miles) is possible, depending on the route and prevailing operating conditions.

The batteries are protected by Yutong’s YESS electrical safety system, as on all of the manufacturer’s e-bus products, providing maximum reassurance to operators and passengers alike; whereas on its single-deck products the batteries are up on the roof, on this bus, there is a battery pack over each front wheel, plus two more beneath the floor ahead of the rear axle to help distribute weight. The remainder are housed at the rear in what was traditionally the engine compartment; I’m still not quite sure what to call it now, an energy compartment maybe?

Having always struggled to get used to driving with cameras instead of mirrors, I found that I acclimatised to them more quickly than previously; maybe the Synectics system fitted was better, or maybe it’s just that I’m becoming more familiar. By the time we reached the terminus point and were making our way around the housing estate at Charnock, I felt like I had everything under control.

Varying road surfaces gave the bodywork a good test, and from the cab the only real rattle that I was aware of came from the partially-lowered manual side window blind. Naturally, rough surfaces provoked body noise, but that’s to be expected from any large vehicle, and it wasn’t excessive. My impression overall was that the fit and finish met the mark in that regard. Pelican’s Ian Downie was keen to point out that although the two demonstrators are the first, the fit and finish is to the same high specification operators can expect on subsequent orders; these are not prototypes still in development.

The route chosen, besides its hills, also features a mix of narrow estate roads, fast urban arteries, and city centre driving. The Yutong felt at home on all of them, and the speedy response when pulling away from junctions came in handy on some of the city’s large, busy and fast-flowing roundabouts. Tipping the scales at around 13,600kg depending on specification, the bus felt study and planted, reacting positively to my inputs and doing as I expected it to, be that steering, accelerating or braking. Coming to a smooth stop was easy.

The aluminium-bodied bus in its silver livery had become a familiar sight on the route over the couple of weeks prior to my visit, with its regular drivers, including Andy, recounting that passenger feedback had been very positive, as it had been during the trials of the BZL, with users enjoying the smooth ride and quiet interior. Making our way back down towards the city centre below, with plenty of chance to feed energy back into the batteries through regeneration, awaiting passengers seemed excited to see us approach, only to have the disappointment of realising we weren’t stopping for them today. Had we been stopping, we could have accommodated up to 86 of them aboard.

Interior

Having followed a tram through the city centre, past roads now closed to buses which force them to drop passengers further away from the shops, we were well on our way to the opposite end of the route at Lodge Moor. We passed through the busy area around the University of Sheffield, whose Arts Tower is home to one of the UK’s three remaining paternoster lifts, and made a short diversion around the children’s hospital, where roadworks meant the road was closed.

A spirited run out towards the Derbyshire Dales saw us arrive at Lodge Moor, which as the name suggests sits on the very edge of the city, with views out across the rolling green countryside. Or at least there would have been, had it not been foggy. If nothing else, the weather gave me a good opportunity to try the windscreen wipers and cab heating, the latter being particularly good at warming me up in a short time. Air conditioning is also fitted as standard on the bus, as with all of Yutong’s UK products.

At the terminus, I took the opportunity to have a quick walk through of the interior and a walk around the bus before the next ‘real’ 51 arrived. As the accompanying pictures show, the interior is a bright and modern environment, and although a matter of specification rather than vehicle design, I quite liked the chosen seat fabric. The seats on both demonstrators are the same, and to Yutong’s own design, though the other, red vehicle one has matching red leather trim.

At 4.35m high, I found I had adequate headroom on both decks as I moved about the bus. Upstairs, I was surprised to note the small step to the rear row of seats, presumably to give more headroom downstairs. The rear row sits quite far forwards, with a large ‘shelf’ behind, over the energy compartment below.

Downstairs, the layout is pretty standard on the demonstrators, with unobstructed low floor access to four low floor seats and four tip up seats in the wheelchair and standee/pushchair space. Highlighting the difficulties of packaging an electric double-decker without using underfloor batteries, the rear seat in the lower saloon suffers from the same kind of restricted legroom as the BYD ADL Enviro400EV, as a result of the short rear overhand and its positioning so close behind the rear axle, which has led to wheelarch intrusion in the foot space, though to a lesser extent. As with previous single-deck models, the tip-up seats feature a design which tilts the backrest to a less upright angle when deployed. An interesting detail was the low-level lighting to be found at seat rail level, which added to the ambience and premium feel. For wheelchair users, a moveable handrail fixes into position with a satisfyingly heavy thunk when pulled into place.

Exterior

When I first saw the U11DD, I have to admit I wasn’t too keen on the styling. But it’s grown on me, especially from certain angles. One person suggested that it has shades of the Bristol VRT, whilst its vertical headlights also have some reflection of the Dennis Dominator standing alongside in some of the accompanying pictures – which, incidentally, was kindly provided along with another former Sheffield stalwart the Volvo B10M by the South Yorkshire Transport Trust based in nearby Rotherham.

I’m sure some operators will choose to keep the deep expanse of black on the front and sides as on the demonstrators to make the bus stand out and others will opt for a more traditional livery application but whatever the colour, I was very impressed with the large and easily visible front indicators. At the rear too, I was pleased to see that as well as the smart modern main light clusters, the indicators and brake lights are repeated higher up. It’s something which I’ve always thought was lacking as a standard fit on the single-deck E10 and E12 (though available as an option), so good to see here.

The sides and rear are fairly flat and featureless, though at the same time I don’t feel the design is boxy thanks to its smoothed edges and curved roofline. The large black area at the rear on the demonstrator mirrors the front end, though again I can see some operators preferring to prioritise fleet livery over design aesthetics here. No lower saloon rear window is fitted, but the rear has a full width destination screen, which like those on the front and sides is clear and easy to read.

Returning to the front, although the bottom of the windscreen looked quite high, I found visibility to be good in all directions, apart from around the A-pillars which seemed quite thick, especially combined with the door frame on the nearside, giving a blind spot for drivers to beware of. Those stout pillars are, of course, also one of the reasons that the body is solid and rattle-free.

Operator response

Initial feedback has been positive says Pelican, with both demonstrators being booked to visit a number of operators across the UK over the coming weeks and months. Pelican’s Head of Bus Ian Downie told CBW: “We have unprecedented interest in the demonstration vehicles, across the whole of the UK, and look forward to demonstrating the vehicles with a number of different operators.” He also confirmed that no London-specification version is currently planned. Existing Yutong operator Newport Transport has already ordered two buses, which are currently in build. Pelican says the current lead time for new orders stands at around eight to nine months, with a production capacity of 100 buses per month.

Conclusions

Having been able to test both this and the BZL back to back, Andy had lots of praise for both buses, with not a lot between them. He noted that from an engineers perspective, the Yutong had lots of positive attributes, including well laid out components and easy access via the numerous opening panels at the rear. Having tested the bus on a variety of routes, including the constantly busy university shuttle as well as the 51, he was satisfied that it could meet the demands of service in Sheffield, and noted that it put in a worthy performance on the interurban X78 to Rotherham and Doncaster, though (as predicted beforehand when assessing its capabilities) wasn’t quite able to complete a full duty on that long and demanding route without additional charging. On the 51s, he said, the bus was going out before 0600hrs and returning after midnight with around 20% charge remaining.

From my own perspective, as a driver I’ve always found the E10 and E12 to be buses which suit my driving style and seating position very well, and I can report that the U11DD follows in that trend although I agreed with Andy that it would be nice to have had the destination screen controller closer to the driver, though there are other apertures available to which it can be moved. I noted before departure that we had a 98% full battery and 258 miles of range indicated. On returning, having covered some 20 miles including some quite hard acceleration and with heating and air-conditioning in operation, the bus indicated a state of charge of 90% and a remaining range of 213 miles.

Overall, despite a few minor points, it’s hard to find much to dislike about the U11DD, and I can foresee it establishing itself as a very credible new option in the electric double-deck market, especially among existing operators of the marque.

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