GRJ0007
Establishing the West Midlands as the national centre for bus electric retrofitting would build on the automotive expertise of the region, bring jobs and skills and rapidly provide the UK with a zero-emission bus fleet.
National Express West Midlands has pledged that our 1600-strong fleet will be zero emission by 2030. We have already bought 29 electric buses.
An electric bus currently costs about £450,000, so replacing an entire fleet with electrics is expensive. Bus companies typically buy vehicles and use them for about 15 years.
The answer to this issue of price, sheer numbers of vehicles and the length of time buses are expected to be in service could be retrofitting diesel buses with electric drivetrains.
National Express West Midlands has already retrofitted nearly 1,000 of our older diesel buses to be EuroVI standard - they are as clean as a brand-new bus.
It is entirely possible to replace a diesel engine with an electric drivetrain, which could be fuelled by electricity or hydrogen. The parts that need replacing/converting are:
● Engine
● Gearbox
● Rear axle - fit electric motor to it to provide propulsion
● Batteries and controllers to be fitted into the bus (wherever there’s space)
● New heating/cooling system needed as it can’t run off the engine any more
● Electric steering
● Optional - fit full electric axle (more expensive but more efficient and longer range)
Each model of bus has a different layout.
There are about 40,000 buses in the UK.
The West Midlands already has a skilled automotive workforce. It also has a high proportion of jobs which are likely to be exposed to the transition to a low-carbon economy. So it makes sense for it to become the specialist region for retrofitting diesel buses into electric and hydrogen vehicles. The principles of retrofitting apply equally to coaches and cars too.
High voltage (600v) training for apprentices/engineers
● Level 1 - understanding of electric vehicles
● Level 2 - being qualified to plug in and charge electric vehicles
● Level 3 - technician repairing and maintaining electric vehicles
Any growth in electric vehicles will also bring other skills/job opportunities:
● “Second-life” conversion of batteries - recycling them into a different kind of battery that can be used to power something else
● Development - packaging battery technology for various uses
● Making motors and AC-DC converters