At a time when there has been lots of focus on electric bus fires, around 105 Alexander Dennis Enviro200 and Enviro400 buses have been affected by a recall concerning low-voltage systems which form part of the heating and air-conditioning system. The recall notice issued by the DVSA states that ‘the low voltage harness connector of the control module may experience fatigue if subjected to excessive mating cycles leading to a localised thermal incident.’ However, the manufacturer stressed that no link had been found between the recent fires in London, and that the main high-voltage traction systems were not affected.
A spokesperson for Alexander Dennis told national media: “Following an incident earlier this year, Alexander Dennis, BYD and other relevant parties have identified that there is a potential issue relating to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system supplied by Hispacold for some BYD-Alexander Dennis electric buses.
”The investigation is still ongoing and the root cause has not yet been identified. As the safety of our customers’ team members, bus drivers and passengers is of the utmost importance to us, a safety bulletin has been issued to all affected operators with temporary precautionary measures to ensure the highest levels of safety are met. “Further updates will be provided to operators on conclusion of the investigation by Alexander Dennis, BYD and impacted suppliers, in consultation with the DVSA, when we expect to provide a permanent fix to resolve the issue. As far as is currently known, the issue does not directly affect core driveline components such as electric motors or traction batteries. Neither is there currently any suggestion that the issue is linked to other bus fires that recently received media attention as these involved different vehicle types and technologies.’
