Why coaches are ripe for repowering

The electrification of buses is accelerating rapidly but coaches have been slow to make the transition. Could the retrofitting of zero-emission powertrains be the answer? Ian Foley, CEO of Equipmake, certainly thinks so

“Trying to predict the future is a mug’s game,” wrote Douglas Adams, author of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.’ His point being that humans aren’t particularly good at it, with bookshops full of forecasts from so-called experts whose guesses have very quickly proved wide of the mark.

But one thing is for sure – all transport sectors are going zero-emission. It’s not a matter of if, but when, and from an operator’s point of view, the really hard part is predicting the point at which to switch over.

While the bus sector is rapidly embracing electrification, the coach market is lagging behind – and it’s not hard to see why. There’s only one new electric coach available today in the UK, which not only costs considerably more than a new diesel model, but also comes with compromises on luggage capacity. Right now, if you have to buy a new vehicle, then the only option is to stick with diesel. Yes, that new fossil-fuelled coach may cost in excess of £500,000 but at least the cost can be absorbed over its 25-year lifetime on fleet.

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Or will it? With so many cities expanding ultra-low emission zones, it’s easy to imagine that in the near future, diesel vehicles won’t be allowed anywhere near an urban centre. Or even the outskirts. So in as little as ten years’ time, for instance, that new diesel coach might not be able to enter London, or Bristol, or Birmingham, with serious implications for the residual value of the vehicle itself. By that point, there will certainly be more than one electric coach on the market, but how many operators will be able to afford entirely new vehicles – especially if their existing fleet starts to become worth a lot less than they expected.

So what’s the answer?

Repower.

Repowering sees the diesel engine removed and replaced with a state-of-the-art electric powertrain. It is the antithesis of the sausage factory mentality of the transport industry, avoiding the creation of thousands of tonnes of carbon during new coach manufacturing, taking an existing vehicle – which has already sunk its carbon – and giving it a new lease of life.

Upcycling a perfectly good product in the most cost-effective way, repowering is the optimum solution, making just as much sense for a household name large fleet operator with hundreds of coaches as it does for an operator with two. It also solves the conundrum faced by operators who may only be part-way through the lifecycle of a vehicle, enabling them to make the transition to zero emissions, without resorting to the huge financial burden of a new electric coach.

Repowering is quick too. As we’ve proved with our bus repowers, once a first vehicle has been developed, further retrofits can be completed over the course of a few weeks – against a year or more for the delivery of a new electric coach – keeping the vehicle out of service for as little time as possible. And it’s cost-effective, a repower coming in at less than half the price of a new electric coach. Given that repowered coaches, unlike repowered buses, don’t currently qualify for Government incentives – a situation that’s very different in Scotland – reducing purchase costs is key. Also, and unlike electric buses, coaches don’t qualify for BSOG, as they don’t operate a scheduled service and also fall under the category of private hire. Again, reducing upfront costs is therefore paramount.

Switching to an electric powertrain of course has huge potential to reduce on-fleet running costs, not just in terms of energy used but on servicing too, while Equipmake’s e-powertrain technology – which supports UK PLC with 76% British-built content – is ready today, with a range up to 220 miles on one charge, making long distances entirely possible.

As infrastructure improves, electric coaches are natural candidates to take advantage of opportunity charging too. With vehicles often making a 30-minute stop in a motorway services, a 100kW fast-charge could add significant range in a short time, supplementing on-depot overnight charging where, adding further to the business case, an electric coach could present a Vehicle 2 Grid (V2G) opportunity too.

We’re confident this is the way forward, so much so that we’ll reveal a battery repower of an existing coach before the end of this year. Predicting what’s coming is never easy, but repowering gives coach operators the flexibility to adapt quickly and cost-effectively – and be ready for the future.