Yutong’s electric bus offerings in the UK have been on demonstration with many operators over the last year or so. Richard Sharman gets behind the wheel of the E10 to see how it performs out on the road
Pelican Bus and Coach has brought the electric zero emission E10 and E12 demonstrators to the UK to show operators how advanced the Yutong product is. Production of electric vehicles at Yutong began in 1999, and it is now the largest electric bus manufacturer in the world. This expertise is now available to UK and Ireland operators. The two E12 demonstrators have seen use all over the country. The difference between the two models is that the E10 is 10,800mm in length and the E12 is 12,170mm. The E10 has been designed specifically for the UK market and is being demonstrated in Transport for London (TfL) compliant specification in dual-door format. A single-door version for provincial use is also available. [wlm_nonmember][…]
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First impressions
When I arrived at the Pelican Bus and Coach site in Castleford the E10 was gleaming inside the impressive showroom facility that had been recently built. I was given a warm welcome by Ian Downie, Head of Yutong Bus UK. As this E10 demonstrator was destined for London it was already in TfL red and had the graphics applied.
The Yutong E10 is practically styled. However it does have good kerb appeal. The main styling feature is the area under the windscreen containing a ‘smiling’ headlight cluster, front fog lights (a feature you don’t see on many service buses these days) and the curved centre panel containing the Yutong badge. The roof consists of four pods. From the front to the back these are cab air-conditioning, a battery pack, saloon air-conditioning and a further battery pack over the rear axle. The longer E12 features a larger central roof pod. The two battery packs on the roof are understandably slightly taller than the air-conditioning units, but not enough to make the E10 look odd.
The bonded side windows are of the same height, but with various degrees of masking. The full-width rear window is asymmetric and curved inwards towards the top of the boot lid. It also incorporates top repeater indicators, stop and marker lights. Round LED units are used for the rear light cluster. Rear fog lights are mounted into the corner bumper panels with reversing sensors, which are also mounted along the rear bumper line.
Interior designed for high capacity
Boarding the E10 through the pneumatic inward-swing Ventura doors, the first thing that I noticed was how light and airy the interior was. The E10’s 10,800mm chassis can carry 29 seated passengers, plus the driver. This may appear to be a small number, but the 46 standing capacity more than makes up for this. When you consider that this demonstrator has been configured to TfL specification, an operating area where many passengers only stay on the vehicle for a few minutes, it makes sense.
Given the large number of standing passengers, Yutong has ensured that the E10 has plenty of yellow powder-coated steel pipe handrails. The handrails in the lower saloon also feature plastic grips that hang down on thick fabric straps.
The wheelchair bay on the E10 is in the centre of the vehicle, along with the centre door electrically-operated wheelchair ramp. This vehicle had not yet been fitted with ticket machine equipment, but the idea would be for the wheelchair passenger to enter through the wide Ventura sliding-plug centre door where there would be an Oyster card validator to touch in and out on, as seen on the rear of the New Routemaster. This is much easier for the wheelchair user than negotiating the front of the vehicle to gain access to a space behind a wheel arch.
Seating and interior features
The 31 seats are made by Chinese brand New City, and are firm but comfortable, with the seat back featuring quite a relaxing rake. A luggage rack is positioned over the near side front wheel arch followed by two seats facing the rear of the vehicle. The offside front wheel arch has four seats mounted onto it, two facing forwards and two facing towards the rear. Dark tinted glass decency screens are fitted behind the near side wheel arch, by the centre door exit and leading up to the rear of the vehicle. Each seat is fitted with hard wearing and sturdy looking USB ports that are mounted into the side wall of the vehicle and illuminated by a green light when turned on.
In terms of ventilation, the E10 features eight opening hopper windows. A roof-mounted Yutong air-conditioning unit rated at 32,000KCA provides electrically generated heat and cold air to the saloon, along with three back up 2kw floor level radiators, set to come on when the temperature in the saloon reaches zero degrees. These systems mean that the E10 produces zero emissions as no diesel is required for the vehicle heating. The roof coving contains a number of vents to distribute the hot or cold air evenly. LED saloon lighting runs the length of the vehicle. As you step into the rear section of the E10 the full-width rear window means the light and airy feel of the vehicle is retained.
No offside emergency exit door is provided in the E10, but three well-spaced out windows are designated emergency exits on this side. These are fitted with the ‘pull pin and push button’ style system, in which a single strike to the button activates a tungsten tip which breaks the glass.
Battery powered
Yutong is not new to battery operated vehicles, having been producing them for over 20 years. In total, 12 Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery packs with a capacity of 324kWh are used in the E10. These cannot all be stored in the engine bay, so two roof pods containing seven battery packs are used. The remaining eight batteries are found in the engine bay area and where you would normally find a fuel tank, behind the offside rear wheel arch.
A Forman fire suppression system is fitted in the energy compartment. Yutong uses a battery monitoring system that is unique to its vehicles. It constantly monitors the battery temperature, voltage, current and capacity. The battery packs are of modular design, meaning that should technology advance they can be updated or changed at mid-life if required.
Yutong’s battery supplier also provides Apple with all its batteries for iPhone and iPad products, meaning that the batteries are of good quality and that the latest technology is always available to Yutong.
These batteries power a single Yutong YTM280-CV9-H Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM). To produce torque, the rotor field poles lock with the rotating magnetic field at the synchronous speed and the rotor continues to rotate.
The Yutong motor provides a maximum power of 350kW and maximum torque of 2,400Nm and is water cooled with its own radiator; no gearbox is required. This system is tried and tested, with over 40,000 vehicles in operation in China.
A single two hour and 30 minute charge will allow the E10 a range of 181 miles. An EU standard DC charger is used with a CCS2 charging gun to connect with the vehicle on the offside rear corner.
Cab layout and features
The driver has been very well catered for with the E10. The vehicle tested was fitted with a comfortable ELeather covered Chapman seat that has plenty of room to adjust all the way back to allow ample legroom for even the tallest of drivers. An electric sun blind operated from a switch on the dash is a welcome touch for any driver. The cab area has its own roof-mounted Spheros air-conditioning for cold and hot air, allowing the driver to control his or her working area temperature easily and not be reliant on the temperature the saloon is set to.
Switchgear is chunky and well placed. The right-hand side of the dash features the ZF gear selector controls, suspension and door switches. The left-hand side features headlight, master, ignition and saloon lighting switches. The handbrake is well placed under the cab window along with switches for the cab lighting, saloon air-conditioning and a large red emergency stop button which isolates all electrics in the vehicle. The demister unit has a separate control panel named Defroster Controller. A three-speed driver’s fan is also fitted. The Mobitec KU402 unit and space for an iBus radio and CCTV monitor are incorporated into the cab ceiling moulding.
A USB port and running cardholder is provided to the right of the driver’s seat under the cab window.
Preparing for the road
As we prepared to depart the Castleford showroom I was looking forward to seeing how the E10 performed. The driving position of the E10 is very good, with the A-pillar not imposing on the view ahead or to the side. The ELeather covered Chapman driver’s seat is comfortable and has a good number of adjustments for any driver’s needs.
Two switches at the left-hand top corner of the dash power up the E10. The first being the master switch which then checks the operation of the passenger doors and ramp and brings the digital dash display to life, displaying the Yutong logo whilst initialising before changing to the digital gauges. This unit displays the air tank and miles per hour gauges to the left, the amount of charge in the centre, and the kilowatts (kW) usage to the right which is marked out on a round dial as charge, efficiency, normal and boost.
In terms of starting the E10, pressing the dash mounted start button and the concealed security button sets off a few audible beeps to confirm the vehicle is fully operational. After the beeps, it is an entirely silent experience. In fact, sat in the showroom there was absolutely no noise coming from the E10 at all.
The first task was to reverse the E10 from the showroom into the yard. The exterior mirrors are well placed and of a good size, making reversing a simple manoeuvre. Reversing sensors are also fitted to the E10, but not required in this case.
With the vehicle operational and ready to go I selected reverse and eased the accelerator down slowly; this is a very strange experience as the only apparent noise is the reversing beeper.
An electric road test
Departing the Pelican yard through the automated gate, the weather conditions were dry and sunny, but still with a cold nip in the air. As the sun was beaming directly into the cab of the E10 I made use of the electronic Yutong emblazoned sun blind, a luxury in a service vehicle.
As we travelled through the industrial estate I was getting a feel for the E10, my first overwhelming thought was that response from the accelerator on the E10 was surefooted, to say the least. As there are no gears, the Yutong motor has the 2,400Nm of torque on tap, which makes for a very comfortable and smooth drive.
Driving through Castleford the E10 remained very quiet, with the Yutong motor only producing very minimal noise in operation. As the motor is mounted behind the rear axle, even that noise is whisper quiet. The accelerator is very precise in operation. Some Euro VI service buses take time to pull away, making trying to get across roundabouts hazardous, but there is no such issue with the E10. The response is immediate but smooth.
In terms of build quality, the E10 feels like it has been solidly built. Interior fittings are well put together with no rattles apparent.
As we continued to drive around the Castleford area, the Elephant & Castle destination display did not seem to deter the good folk of the town putting their arm out to request a trip to the Capital.
Not just a citybus
I was keen to see if the E10 was just as confident on the open road, so we headed out of Castleford on the A656 where there are some hills and long straights.
As we departed Castleford we crossed over the Aire and Calder Navigation, which joins the River Aire, straight out into the West Yorkshire countryside. On the long straights of the A656 the E10 was able to keep to the national speed limit of 50mph without issue; the few corners that were encountered were taken with ease thanks to the ZF steering which is sharp and responsive. No body roll was encountered despite the weight of the batteries on the roof.
As we passed Allerton Bywater the road started to climb slowly towards Kippax. The E10 did slow slightly whilst climbing this section, but only down to 42mph. There are no turbos to give this vehicle an extra boost so it is all down to the electric Yutong motor.
The brakes on the E10 proved smooth and effective in operation on the A656 – and are regenerating the battery with use. The range of this vehicle using the battery power is 181 miles, but this can increase slightly with the regenerative braking. The driver of the vehicle is always aware of the amount of charge thanks to a display in the centre of the digital dash which gives the information in form of percentage and battery bars, which change colour to red when the charge is getting low.
Turning off the A656 into the village of Kippax the E10s steering lock was more than enough to deal with getting around the junction, despite a car that had overrun the stop line. At a length of 10,800mm and a width of 2,550mm, the E10 still felt remarkably comfortable on the country roads heading towards Kippax.
On the return to the Pelican site we paused outside the Castleford bus station for some pictures. The public seemed very interested in the fact the E10 was powered by batteries. One commented to me that battery buses are the way forward and they wished they had them around here.
Conclusion
In terms of the driver experience, the E10 delivers a totally different environment to spend your day in. Yes, it is still a bus, but the E10 ticks a number of boxes for driving staff. Firstly, the quietness of the Yutong motor means that the driver has a much better working environment and can hear passengers clearly through the security screen. Another additional benefit is knowing that the vehicle can pull away from a roundabout safely rather than waiting for a delayed reaction.
In this specification, the E10 is an efficient people mover for urban services, with a reasonable seating capacity and double that amount able to stand. Quietness and smooth acceleration in operation are another benefit for the customer.
Having said all that though, the operator is perhaps the greatest benefactor. The purchase price is £330,000 (subject to specification) for which you will get a full, zero emission vehicle with enhanced warranty packages. The engineering cost of the E10 is estimated to be 20% less than a standard diesel. The Government’s current offer of the Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme could assist with the purchase of the type of vehicle, as it is hoping to speed up the introduction of zero-emission buses throughout the country.
One thing to remember when looking to purchase a zero-emission vehicle is that Yutong has been producing this type of vehicle in great numbers for a very long time, and this is evident with the E10.
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