Scania is taking a major step towards the electrification of new market segments with the unveiling of its new high-floor battery-electric bus and coach platform at Busworld Europe.
The introduction of the new BEV platform enables Scania to provide battery-electric high-floor buses and coaches for both Urban and Travel segment applications.
Perhaps most notably, the platform is used for the company’s battery-electric coaches, offering a range of up to 600 km and luggage space that is almost on a par with that of combustion-powered coaches – the latter being a key factor in enabling coach operators to move to electric vehicles.
This makes the product suitable for the likes of medium-distance inter-city traffic, airport shuttles and sports team coaches.
In addition, the new platform can accommodate the needs of shorter inter-city operations or to build school buses or sightseeing buses that don’t have the same luggage space requirements. The high-floor battery electric platform is also designed for urban applications, by offering a scalable pathway to zero-emission bus rapid transit systems used in towns and cities in regions like Africa, Asia and South America.
The technology at the heart of the platform has been tried and tested, from e-machine to batteries, charging interface and more, and the platform is compatible with a variety of bodies. On the power side, it offers adaptability in terms of the e-machine output with up to 330 kW, while the installed energy is up to 534 kWh (with 480 kWh of available energy). That is also true for the charging capacity, which is up to 325 kW (500A).
The launch of Scania’s high-floor battery-electric platform comes at a time when transport electrification is rapidly expanding beyond purely urban applications in Europe and other markets around the globe. This is accompanied by a growing demand from coach operators for various charging solutions, depending on different operational needs.
Scania is playing a key role in enabling this change with a comprehensive ecosystem of electrification services, with its ability to provide complete and customer-specified charging solutions such as smart charging that helps the operator avoid peak energy costs and maintain battery performance, meaning they can benefit from predictable pricing, full cost transparency and simple payment solutions. This is complemented by the user-friendly Scania Charging Access service, which opens up a growing network of public charging stations adapted for heavy commercial vehicles to operators.
“With the launch of the new high-floor BEV platform, Scania is not only introducing our first battery-electric coaches but also reinforcing our position as a trusted partner in the transition to sustainable transport,” says Carl-Johan Lööf, Head of Product Management for People Transport Solutions at Scania.
“We believe that the various features offered by this new platform will address coach and bus operators’ concerns about combining zero-emission operations with the needs of urban and travel assignments, making it an ideal solution for the electrification of this growing market in people transport.”
