In a recent article about Prentice of Haddington, Managing Director Ross Prentice told Richard Walter he was considering electric vehicles. At the time Ross said: “I have been looking seriously at electric vehicles but I don’t think they are suitable for our needs yet.” However he recognised that the infrastructure was improving and considered that there might be charging points suitable for buses being installed at a ‘Journey Hub’ in East Lothian in the not too distant future. Subsequently the company has been evaluating electric bus LJ68 CYO, an BYD ADL Enviro200MMC EV demonstrator which has been trialled by various operators throughout the UK following its appearance at the Euro Bus Expo 2018 in Birmingham.
Ross said that while he was initially sceptical, he is now extremely impressed. “The bus is easy to drive and very quiet as you would expect.” he said. “It has completed a standard shift of three return journeys on the 111 service covering 162 miles and still has 33% charge left. I expected issues with the charger in our garage but those haven’t happened. The bus charged comfortably overnight even at the lowest setting. Last week I would have said I wouldn’t have thought it would be suitable for our needs, but my opinion has completely changed and I now think we could operate a few with ease. The cost differential is the big issue but with ‘Green Bus’ funding, I believe there would be a strong commercial case to purchase.”
