The long-established MCV eVolution has evolved. Its replacement on the Euro 6 Volvo B8RLE is eVoRa and Andy Izatt outlines what the new combination has to offer
MCV has unveiled eVoRa, its new upgraded and facelifted single-deck body which is sold in the UK and Ireland by Volvo Bus on the Euro 6 B8RLE. Stock availability is already in place and first customers are JJ Kavanagh and Sons of Urlingford in Ireland and Hertfordshire-based Uno.
Ashraf Fawzi, Managing Director of the Egyptian manufacturer’s UK subsidiary MCV Bus and Coach, explained that an upgrade and restyle of the long-established Evolution body had been planned as long ago as 2014 when it was first significantly modified to accommodate the Euro 6 B8RLE. However, the focus at that time needed to be on the double-deck body for the Euro 6 Volvo B5TL which was re-launched in 2015 with a revised look as the eVoSeti. Subsequent modifications saw it also able to accommodate a B5LH hybrid underframe.
“Our approach with eVoRa has been the same,” Ashraf said. “We involved operators, their engineering staff and drivers, and our own service and engineering people. We listened to their feedback and incorporated the necessary modifications to make the product as reliable and easy to maintain as possible. It was also an opportunity to extend the family look we first introduced with eVoSeti.” [wlm_nonmember][…]
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Despite having quite a different appearance to the eVolution it replaces, eVoRa shares the same proven, strong Cromweld stainless steel structure. Single piece PECOlite fibre reinforced plastic is used for the roof which can incorporate up to two glass roof hatches if required. The structure to accommodate roof-mounted air-conditioning is in place.
Side panelling continues to be in aluminium with the upper units bonded to the structure. Lower ones, which remain split, now have external four-bolt fixing points for ease and speed of replacement.
While pillar spacing remains unchanged, hopper windows are now a separate unit so if either those or the main lower glass needs to be replaced, the whole window unit doesn’t have to be changed as had previously been the case, saving both time and money. Tinted side glass is standard although double-glazing would be an option. The windscreen and quarter-lights are identical to that used in eVoSeti, parts commonality where possible being an MCV objective. All glass is stocked by PSV Glass.
A new tandem wiper system comes pre-assembled and is mounted at the top of the windscreen. Again there’s a benefit from parts commonality and it delivers an improved sweep enhancing visibility for the driver.
White display Hanover LED destination equipment is specified front, side and rear. While just the route number is the norm for the rear, a full display can be incorporated if required. GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) moulded bumpers in three pieces for ease of replacement feature front and rear while four-bolt fixed headlight panels are the same as those used for the double-decker. All external lights are LED including dip beam improving night visibility although main beam continues to be halogens – an industry standard. Britax-PMG and Hella are the suppliers.
The entrance door is a Ventura inward glide unit while Compak supplies the manual ramp. Underneath there is the same skid plate arrangement incorporated in the double-decker. The emergency door is manufactured by Percy Lane Products.
Inside story
Up to 46 passenger seats can be incorporated in the saloon comprising 43 forward facing and three tip-ups. Standard is the semi high-backed Vogelsitze Arondo which incorporates a sturdy well-shaped hand-grip and a three-point seatbelt, although the latter can be deleted if required. Floor fixings are tracked facilitating a degree of seat adjustment.
Gerflor supplies the wood-effect floor covering specified for stock built buses. Laminate side casings are in a standard mottled grey, but can be tailored if sufficient notice is given to the factory. Uno, for example, has specified its own colour.
The step arrangement connecting the front low-floor area of the bus to the raised rear area was revised in the Evolution with the introduction of the Euro 6 B8RLE and that’s when the ceiling was raised by 10cm. The two steps are wider spaced and shallower and there is slight ramping up to the rear row of five seats making the whole area more open and accessible for passengers. A new step edge design introduced with eVoRa incorporates rounded corners that are safer and more aesthetically pleasing.
The front low-floor area continues to be flat, facilitating the installation of extensive luggage racking and two nearside or nearside and offside door configurations if that’s what a customer such as an airport operator requires.
Body and chassis electrics have been relocated from behind the entrance dash moulding to the partition behind the driver, so are now much more accessible. As with eVoSeti, the MCV programmable multiplex system incorporates an IPLC (Intellitec rogrammable Logic Control) controller that talks directly to the Volvo chassis CAN line as well as other modules around the vehicle. That link enables data to be fed to Volvo’s telematics including the collation of loading data, such as how often the doors open and close. MCV wiring looms are supplied by Teepee Electrical of Bloxwich.
As eVoRa is normally stock built, all the looms and power feed are in place for customer specific installations such as CCTV and real-time information equipment. Everything is appropriately labelled to minimise any confusion that could lead to unnecessary hard wiring that invalidates the vehicle’s warranty cover.
Wireless BMAC bell bushes used in the double-decker have again been specified. Easy to maintain, they eliminate any related wires chaffing and wire rattle.
LED interior lighting that runs the full length of the vehicle within the ceiling aluminium extrusions is an Invertec-designed system with dimming as standard when the entrance doors close and the option of defused lighting. The latter can be directed downwards or towards the ceiling as required and there are three colour options – white, blue and green. It’s all designed to help take the saloon ambiance to a new level. Dimming the lights helps minimise the amount of reflected glare that the driver might have to deal with from the windscreen at night.
Saloon heating is the same affective four-unit blown convector system supplied by Sanz Clima that was introduced in the eVolution.
The dashboard has a new gloss paint finish that is designed to be easier to clean. The cab area mirrors that of the eVoSeti as far as possible, so drivers familiar with one will feel at home in the other. The driver’s seat is normally a Chapman unit although one from KAB is available and a seatbelt optional. While a tachograph is not normally provided, a Volvo-badged Siemens VDO unit can be installed.
Team working
“MCV used to manufacture in the UK, but we changed our business model to reflect the demands of the market,” said Ashraf. “I believe we’re now delivering a product that fully meets operators’ expectations, whether it’s for quality, availability or price.
“While production is in Egypt, in our UK vehicles around 70% of the components came from UK suppliers. They’re known components from respected suppliers and we understand how important it is to meet our contracted delivery dates.
“As a business we believe in continuous improvement and that’s reflected in every batch of vehicles we build. Investment in our factory is continuous as well. There’s now an air-conditioned area in the machine shop which accommodates CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machinery that punches holes in aluminium extrusions while a five axes CNC machine makes wooden moulds for GRP in the vehicle.
“We also work very closely with our suppliers. There’s a signoff procedure for every component we fit and a constant process of feeding back to ensure production quality is maintained and to enable design enhancements to be incorporated.
“I think the joint project we have with Volvo works very well. Our product is well positioned because it’s the highest capacity seat-belted single-deck bus available and building for stock means we can respond quickly to demand.”
“I work for the retail division so I sell both bus and coach,” explained Volvo National Account Manager – Coach, Richard Mann. “People buy from people so what’s important is giving them a single point of contact. While we don’t have a formal demonstration programme planned for eVoRa, most of the sales team have PCV licences so we can take a vehicle to a customers’ premises or they can see it at our Coaches Sales Centre at Coventry.
“Volvo is prime contractor and has a 90-plus dealer network throughout the UK and Ireland providing aftersales support. We also benefit from the backup and technical knowledge that comes from the team at MCV Bus and Coach based at Sutton, near Ely, Cambridgeshire. That’s where MCV parts are stocked and if body training is required at a dealer point, they can provide that.”
MCV Product Manager, Grant Crisp pointed out that Volvo has a computerised portal system that enables its dealers to obtain an overview of the complete vehicle and quickly identify what parts might be needed. As well as comprehensive technical information, there are wiring diagrams, details of processes and who to call if that’s necessary.
“When it comes to contract maintenance, we can tailor to customer requirement whether that’s at point of sale or when delivery takes place,” said Grant. “We’ll follow up with relevant training. We can do whatever the operator requires.”
MCV NAMES
Drawing on ancient history
MCV introduced a new range of product names in the UK with the restyled double-deck body it unveiled in May 2015 on the Euro 6 Volvo B5TL. eVoSeti replaced the DD103 mounted on the Euro 5 Volvo B9TL and it is also now built on the Volvo B5LH hybrid underframe. Evo was a play on the well-established Evolution name given to the single-deck bus body built for UK customers since 2004, while Seti was the second pharaoh in the 19th ancient Egyptian dynasty (1294-1279BC), son of Ramesses I and Sitre.
Seti means ‘consecrated to the god’ and the pharaoh was a great warrior and military commander who brought prosperity to Egypt during his 15 year reign. The Temple of Seti, also known as the Great Temple of Abydos, is a substantial building situated at Abydos in Upper Egypt and the fact it’s still standing centuries later, underlines the innovative design and quality of its engineering.
Pharaoh Seti is also credited with placing the first pillar in the construction of the Great Hypostle Hall in the Karnak Temple complex. His son, pharaoh Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, is said to have been a high ranking warrior like his father.
With the facelift of MCV’s single-deck body on the Euro 6 Volvo B8RLE, eVoRa has replaced Evolution. Rather than being another pharaoh, Ra was an important god in ancient Egyptian culture. Legend has it that he was swallowed every night by the sky and reborn every morning. He had a human body with the head of a hawk or falcon toped with a sun disk, the sun representing light, warmth and growth.
GLOBAL BUSINESS
MCV winning orders
MCV (Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles) is an Egyptian company headquartered in Obour City near Cairo. It manufactures from a plant at Salheya capable of building 6,000 vehicles annually on one shift although actual yearly production is nearer 3,000 units. The MCV Group, which encompasses several businesses and has offices in UAE, South Africa, Algeria, Nigeria, Cuba and Singapore as well as Egypt and the UK, employs around 5,000 staff of which half work at the factory where there has been significant investment in CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machinery to improve production procedures.
As well as the UK and France, MCV has strong interests in the Middle East, Asia and some African countries, selling products into those markets that reflect local demands. It’s also developing its presence in the Asia Pacific region where more than 50 single-deckers were supplied to operators in the Philippines last year and where notable business has and is being won in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Volvo has just replaced the tri-axle Euro 5 B9TL with the Euro 6 B8L in the Asia Pacific region and the first of two MCV eVoSeti bodied examples for Hong Kong is expected to enter service shortly with KMB. It seats 90 and has space for a further 47 standees.
In Singapore the Land Transport Authority has placed a significant order for 50 Volvo hybrid single-deckers based on B5LH hybrid chassis that will have MCV bodies similar in style to the eVoRa that is now being introduced in the UK and Ireland. The first prototype is now in build and delivery of the first of the batch is expected in quarter four, 2018.
MCV built 232 buses on Volvo chassis for the UK and Ireland in 2016 and 2017. Of those, 150 were double-deck eVoSeti bodies on B5LH chassis for London operators. Go-Ahead London bought 99 with the other 51 going to Tower Transit. Another 66 similar buses are now being built for Metroline as part of a three-year contract agreement.
Additional Euro 6 double-deckers delivered during that period included 12 B5TLs to Go South Coast comprising three open-top, three closed-top and six that were demountable. Golden Tours in London has bought 21 open-top B5TLs in addition to 20 open and closed-top Euro 5 buses while repeat orders for Euro 6 buses have taken Hull-based East Yorkshire’s total with MCV bodies to 10 single and 19 double-deck respectively. Bath Bus Company has also bought a pair of high specification eVoSeti-bodied B5TLs for its Air Decker service from Bath to Bristol Airport.
While MCV-bodied double-deckers for the UK are built to order, single-deckers are usually stock built in batches of five to 10 at a time. Close to 50 Euro 6 Evolutions have been sold with customers for usually ones and twos at a time, including Roberts Coaches of Hugglescote, Llantwit Fardre-based Edwards Coaches, Simonds of Diss, Robertsons of Yell, South West Coaches from Wincanton, Docherty’s Midland Coaches of Auchterarder, Alloa-based Mackies, DRM Bus of Bromyard, Killeen-based Slieve Bloom in Ireland, Travel De Courcey from Coventry, Coach Services from Thetford, York Pullman, Millport Motors, West Coast Motors of Campbeltown and Regency Coaches of Lewes in East Sussex.
First customer to take delivery of an eVoRa is JJ Kavanagh and Sons of Urlingford in Ireland which has bought three of an initial build of 15. A further six are in stock for resale while the remaining six are being built for University of Hertfordshire’s Uno bus operation.
Due to enter service in April to upgrade route 610/611 (Luton/Hatfield-Enfield/Cockfosters), the Uno buses will feature a bespoke, colour-coordinated 43-seat saloon specification that includes 37 forward facing Esteban Civic V2 seats, USB ports, WiFi and next-stop displays. Perhaps most unusually, they will also incorporate a three-person L-shaped sofa between the offside front wheelbox and the offside emergency exit in addition to three tip-ups on the nearside.
Jim Thorpe, Managing Director of Uno, said: “We went through a formal tendering process and Volvo came out on top when it came to the size, capacity and appeal. The introduction of these six new single deck vehicles forms part of our transformational programme, creating an enhanced customer experience for our passengers.”
SPECIFICATION
Volvo B8RLE MCV eVoRa
Price: £165,000 + VAT
Chassis: Volvo B8RLE
Engine: Euro 6 Volvo D8K 280bhp
Max revs: 2,650rpm
Max torque: 1,050Nm at 950-1,700rpm
Gearbox: ZF 6AP1200C
Front axle: Volvo RFS-L
Rear axle: Volvo RS1228C
Suspension front: Two air bellows
Suspension drive: Four air bellows
Brakes: Volvo disc
Tyre size: 275/70R22.5
Body: MCV eVoRa
Doors: Ventura Inward Glide
Entrance ramp: Compak manual
Saloon lighting: Invertec LED system
Saloon heating: Sanz Clima Convectors
Floor covering: Gerflor wood-effect
Seats capacity: Up to 46 incl. three tip-ups
Seat type: Vogelsitze Arondo
Bell pushes: BMAC wireless
U.L.W: 10,800kg
DIMENSIONS
Overall length: 12.175m
Height: 3m
Width: 2.55m
Wheelbase: 6.1m
Front overhang: 2.789m
Rear overhang: 3.286m
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