Stagecoach South’s Barry Bronger and Kevin Yetman talk to Andy Izatt about the electric bus Park & Ride operation now serving Guildford in Surrey
When Stagecoach South introduced nine BYD ADL Enviro200EVs, an investment of over £3m, on to Guildford’s four Park & Ride services on 7 January, it wasn’t just significant for the Perth-based transport group because it saw the introduction of a new type of electric vehicle. It was also because additional battery storage infrastructure was deployed to overcome power supply limitations at the operating base – what is proving to be a key determinant in establishing any similar operation anywhere in the country. [wlm_nonmember][…]
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Best selling option
The Enviro200EV like those deployed at Guildford is currently Britain’s best selling electric bus. The aluminium and stainless steel bodies assembled by ADL (Alexander Dennis Ltd) in Falkirk, Scotland on Chinese-built underframes supplied by BYD (Build Your Dreams) have a total carry capacity of 51 and feature two-colour, E-Leather-covered, wipe-clean SmartSeats that can accommodate up to 36 passengers along with one wheelchair user. As well as onboard WiFi and USB sockets, audio visual announcement systems with LED next stop scrolling displays have been specified.
The AC-charging vehicles weigh 11,832kg, are powered by lithium iron phosphate 324kW/h batteries and have regenerative braking systems giving them a maximum range of 160 miles. With no gearbox and power delivered directly to full-size wheels with 275/70R22.5 Michelin tyres, acceleration is seamless and ZF8098 powered steering ensures precise manoeuvring.
“Driving an electric is completely different to a diesel bus,” explained Barry Bronger, Stagecoach South Operations Manager at Peasmarsh depot near Guildford where the buses are based. “We had a dedicated trainer who explained to our drivers how all the controls worked and then took each of them out for a 45-60-minute driving familiarisation session so they could see how the regenerative braking system operated.
“Take your foot off the accelerator and the vehicle naturally slows down with that inertia used to regenerate the batteries. It should be possible to approach junctions and roundabouts without even touching the brakes. Equally, when you put your foot on the accelerator to move away, there’s a lot of power available so it’s important to properly understand the vehicle’s characteristics.”
High profile operation
Guildford’s Park & Ride is a six day a week operation requiring a maximum of eight buses serving up to four sites. Purpose built car parks at Artington, Merrow and Onslow with a combined capacity of 1,610 spaces are served Monday to Saturday. The fourth, at Guildford Spectrum Leisure Complex where a proportion of 1,000 spaces are available, is reached during the week. Parking is free at all four locations and adult day return fares to the city’s Friary Bus Station range from £1.50 to £2.40.
The new electrics replaced Dennis Darts – six Stagecoach South Plaxton Pointer Darts and three long East Lancs-bodied buses owned by Surrey County Council. The Plaxton Pointers have already been repainted into fleet livery and are back working in Guildford.
Introducing the Enviro200EVs was the first major deployment of the type outside London. Stagecoach South Managing Director Edward Hodgson said at the launch: “This is such an exciting moment for us as we introduce the first fleet of fully electric buses for the south of England and this marks a huge step forward for greener travel in the Guildford area. Stagecoach is committed to improving air quality across the country and making bus travel the safest and cleanest travel option.”
“When we knew the electric buses were coming, we wanted to promote them as much as we could,” explained Barry. “That included having one of the electrics parked for the day outside the Holy Trinity Church at the top of the High Street in Guildford during the first week of operation so we could show the new technology and hand out goodie bags.
“One of the buses has been to Peterborough to promote the electric bus concept there while another attended the London Bus Museum’s spring event at Brooklands on 7 April. We’ve also been asked by ADL if we can take one along to the Dennis factory open day on 11 May and I’m sure they will be making appearances at several other events during the year.
“We wanted a dedicated driving team for the electrics so we could build our rapport with customers. The duty board had been combined with the 715 route to Kingston when we took that over on retender several years ago, but there are now just 15 drivers on the rota – a mixture of those who have worked on Park & Ride before and people with a record for good driving and customer service.
“The buses have been running now since early January and their operation has been absolutely fine. It’s new technology and I think both Kevin Yetman (Engineering Manager at Peasmarsh) and I were wary of the potential problems we might encounter, but there just hasn’t been anything that has disrupted the service. It has been fantastic. Drivers and customers alike have taken to them.”
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CAREER PROFILE // Barry Bronger
Peasmarsh Operations Manager Barry Bronger has worked for Stagecoach South for 14 years.
“I started at Aldershot depot as a trainee driver and worked my way up through the ranks to leading driver,” said Barry. “I then went on the company’s staff development programme which was the fast track course for management. After completing that I was a Controller at Chichester for three and a half years, then becoming AOM (Assistant Operations Manager) at Portsmouth.
“I moved to Peasmarsh as Operations Manager in December 2015. When I took over there were 27 vehicles here and 64 drivers. Now there are 54 buses and 101 drivers so the Guildford operation has developed quickly.”
CAREER PROFILE // Kevin Yetman
Kevin Yetman has been Stagecoach South Engineering Manager at Peasmarsh for nine months.
“I was one of the last National Bus Company (NBC) engineering apprentices,” said Kevin. “I served my time with London Country at its Central Repair Works in Tinsley Lane, Crawley and in 1986 won NBC’s Apprentice of the Year award. There was no part of a bus I didn’t know how to build by the end of my apprenticeship, but the works became Gatwick Engineering Ltd as part of NBC privatisation and later closed.
“I worked for the local water board for 16 years before joining Servisair at Gatwick where I was workshop supervisor. I was put in charge of the firm’s operation at Bournemouth as well and then moved to Belfast for a year. Servisair was taken over and I later moved to TCR at Gatwick, one of the biggest leasing companies of airport equipment, which moved me to Stansted Airport, a 100-mile commute.
“I went for the interview for this job knowing I hadn’t been in the bus industry since 1990, but I’m thoroughly enjoying what I’m doing. It’s a good team at Peasmarsh and I’m quite passionate about getting the best, most cost effective performance from our fleet, not least our electric buses.”
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Village location
Peasmarsh depot where the BYD ADL Enviro200EVs are based is just over three miles from Guildford city centre. It’s a semi-rural location and the depot’s parking area is bounded by a canal and stream so is surrounded by water on three sides.
“Our fleet is 54 plus a training bus,” explained Kevin Yetman. “PVR (Peak Vehicle Requirement) is 47. In addition to the nine electrics we have five Scania Enviro400 double-deckers and the remainder is split between Enviro200s and Plaxton Pointer Darts.
“Peasmarsh was first opened by Stagecoach South with over 20 vehicles as an overflow base for Aldershot depot, but the allocation has just grown and grown, not least through securing contracts from the University of Surrey requiring an additional 16 vehicles, and Surrey County Council for the Park & Ride. It’s a competitive market in and around Guildford where there are several operators, but I would think there’s scope for further expansion.
“The workshop at Peasmarsh had a variety of uses before Stagecoach South took it over. The ceiling is low so I can only accommodate single-deckers, up to five at a time. We have four sets of lifts and brake and headlight testing equipment so can do all our own servicing, most maintenance including engine changes and MOT preparations. However, our Scanias are maintained at Aldershot because of the height restriction.
“The engineering team comprises three shift fitters, one day fitter, an electrician and a bodyshop man. Andrew Cleeves is my Assistant Engineering Manager and we have an engineering clerk.
“A Stagecoach South first is we’ve just started outsourcing vehicle cleaning, refuelling and parking to Cordant Cleaning. Nine staff were TUPE’d across and it’s working very well. The run in starts around 1800hrs and by 2130hes the majority of vehicles are parked up. The depot finishes for the day at 0000hrs and reopens again at 0430hrs with the first buses leaving just before 0500hrs.
“Stagecoach South has a two-year maintenance contract with ADL covering the electric buses and twice a week, usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays, one of them goes to the Dennis factory on the Slyfield Industrial Estate for 28-day servicing and any warranty work. ADL is following Stagecoach’s standard service plan and it’s a good arrangement.
“For the first four weeks the buses were in service, an engineer came to Peasmarsh every morning just to tick off all them going out. If we need support from BYD, it has a maintenance facility at Iver, which isn’t that far away, and a technician can normally be here whenever we require.”
Practical solution
“The electrics are covering a maximum of 147 miles a day and are coming back with at least 35% battery capacity intact,” explained Kevin. “The transformer for the industrial estate we’re on is actually the other side of the fence from our parking area, but being in a semi-rural location, there was a limited power supply available to us. The maximum load we were allowed to take from the National Grid was 200kW/h, which didn’t meet our requirement for charging the buses. However, our energy storage partner, Zenobe Energy came up with a cost effective solution that didn’t necessitate investing in expensive additional transformer capacity and cabling – a solution that would work anywhere.
“What Zenobe did was install a Tesla power pack at the back of our parking area that is charging during the day and gives us the additional 175kW/h capacity we need for the three hours we needed it. It can provide up to 390kW/h when required. What’s more, it is portable infrastructure that could be moved to another location if necessary.
“Eight BYD chargers are installed adjacent to the Tesla that each has a maximum output of 80kW/h giving us the capability to recharge a bus within three hours. However, one runs at 75kW/hs and the rest operate at only 50% capacity because we to recharge over a much longer period to maximise battery life and minimise the cost.
“The first four buses are plugged in to recharge by our cleaning contractor’s staff at around 1930hrs. They don’t have to do anything else as the Zenobe system manages everything. Each charger has two connectors.
“By around 2330hrs the other four buses will be plugged in. That’s when we go above our 200kW/h limit and need to draw on the power that’s stored in the Tesla. We could have the Tesla charging from the Grid 24 hours a day rather than 22 hours, but prefer to have it discharging back during the peak two-hour period from 1700hrs onwards helping us to offset some of the cost.
“At the moment 81% of our recharging is at the cheapest night time tariff. However, the more information we gather over the next few months will allow Zenobe to optimise the process even more and that should see start times moving later.
“Charging automatically stops when the batteries reach capacity. There’s no discharge back and the interlocks switch off. All eight buses are unplugged at around 0600hrs when the first of my fitters comes in.
“Each BYD charger has an emergency red stop button if charging needs to be interrupted for any reason. Pressing the power button on the vehicle’s dashboard does the same although it won’t be possible to move the bus. The start button will illuminate red until the leads are disconnected when it will then turn green enabling drive to be engaged.
“There are nine buses, not eight, so the battery charge of the ninth is usually topped up during the day when I can also recharge any of the others if necessary. Operationally, that gives me quite a bit of flexibility and swapping vehicles around, we have always managed to achieve service. Zenobe may be able to monitor and control recharging from anywhere in the world, but I also have a RF (Radio Frequency) card that enables me to start or stop one of the BYD chargers at any time.
“Zenobe’s battery storage solution makes it possible to run electric buses independently of the limitations of the local power supply and operators from both home and abroad have come to see what we’re doing at Peasmarsh. Introducing these vehicles has caused very few problems from an engineering perspective. It has been a smooth change from diesel to electric and, if I could, I would have more. Compared to running diesels, they perform excellently.”
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