Electric double-decker: World first!

September 28, 2021

Leading commercial vehicle electrification specialist Equipmake has launched a state-of-the-art electric bus, the Jewel E, in partnership with Spanish coachbuilder Beulas. It boasts up to 400 km of range – a world first for an electric double-decker.

Featuring a cutting-edge British-built electric powertrain designed and developed at Equipmake’s purpose-built facility in Norfolk in the United Kingdom, with the body produced by Beulas in Girona, Spain, the Jewel E is a cost-effective and highly efficient electric double-decker bus that will help to reduce local emissions in urban environments, improve air quality and reduce running costs for operators – no matter what the city, from London to Las Vegas.

It will also help meet ever-increasing demand: the global electric bus market is expected to accelerate from 300 000 vehicles per annum to one million by 2030. Set to be manufactured in 2022 at an all-new facility in Norfolk, the Jewel E will not only bring new jobs to the area but play a key role in helping the UK government achieve its target of introducing at least
4 000 more British-built zero-emission buses into the UK market by 2024.

Globally proven state-of-the-art e-powertrain

Equipmake is equipped with advanced propulsion technology – Zero Emission Drivetrain (ZED) – which is modular, scalable and capable of supporting different bus sizes. ZED is already being used in single-decker form on the streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina, as part of an Equipmake partnership with Agrale.

Packaged according to specific applications to optimise space for battery/kWh, ZED now underpins Jewel E – the next step in Equipmake’s strategic plan to grow its line-up of advanced electric powertrains and vehicles.

Integrated into the Jewel E chassis ZED is the company’s HTM 3500 motor, which combines high torque with low motor speeds, and is fitted directly onto the propshaft negating the need for a separate gearbox.

Equipmake was founded in 1997 by managing director Ian Foley, a highly experienced engineer who has worked in global motorsport at the highest level (from Le Mans to F1).

Largest battery in world

Producing maximum torque of 3 500 Nm at just 1 000 r/min and offering maximum power of 400 kW, it is driven by a Semikron SKAI inverter with energy stored in a variety of customer-specified lithium-ion battery pack options of up to 543 kWh, the largest battery of any single axle double-decker electric bus in the world.

The Jewel E’s efficiency is made possible by one of the most efficient thermal management systems on the market, which keeps the motor, inverter and battery at optimum operating temperature, featuring a water-glycol cooling circuit augmented by the capture of thermal energy to heat the interior in cold conditions. When the battery is depleted it can be simply recharged at the depot overnight using a CSS DC charging point.

Testing of the Jewel E begins in Q4 2021 with in-service trials expected to take place in Q1 2022. Manufacture and sales of the Jewel E will begin in 2022.