Another entrant to the growing e-bus market has made itself known, with German e-mobility specialist Quantron AG launching its own 12m low-floor electric bus at the end of this year, based on a vehicle already in service in the Asian and South American market. The city bus will be offered in two versions: as a battery-electric vehicle (BEV), which Quantron says will be available by the end of 2021, and as a fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) from spring 2022. The firm says that the emission-free BEV-bus will have a similar price range to conventional diesel buses.
Quantron confirmed to CBW that the bus will be available in right hand drive form to suit the UK and Ireland as well as Australasian and South African markets.
The vehicle is offered in close cooperation with Quantron investor and strategic partner Ev Dynamics, a European-Asian consortium of companies specialising in electric and hydrogen-based mobility. Batteries are supplied by CATL and the fuel cells by Ballard.
Miguel Valldecabres Polop, CEO of Ev Dynamics, explained: “Several thousand buses have already been produced. These have been operating successfully in Asia for years.”
With electric drive, the bus achieves a maximum output of 250kW and has a claimed range of up to 280km thanks to a battery capacity of up to 422kWh. The battery is charged via a European standard CCS2 plug, taking from 3 to 6 hours depending on the battery size. With a maximum permissable weight of 19,500kg, the bus has a capacity for up to 95 passengers.
