The Big Beast In Your Electric Bus
This article on electrive.com is entitled BAE Systems Takes Orders For 340 Hybrid Drive Systems.
This is the first paragraph.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has selected BAE Systems to supply up to 340 hybrid electric drive systems for its new fleet of low emission transit buses. BAE Systems will provide 220 electric drive systems to New Flyer of America, with an option for 120 additional systems, over the next three years.
The article also reveals that the company is working with AlexanderDennis.
The system appears to be hybrid, with a lot of intelligent choosing of when to use a polluting engine.
The Anonymous Widower 
Significant to this is that New Flyer owns Alexander Dennis, although I think the brands don’t have much product conmonality, they can share R&D for eco projects and work with suitable shared suppliers.
Comment by MilesT | February 21, 2022 |
A few years ago, I was at Hull station and did see a bus with a BAe badge on the back.
But thinking about it, it must be easier to sneak up on your enemy in a hybrid armoured vehicle, running on the battery, than in a noisy diesel one belching smoke.
Comment by AnonW | February 21, 2022 |
Quite right you would have seen the BAE sticker on the back of ADL buses and all those Alexander Dennis EVs you rode around London six or so years ago had a HybriDrive.
Comment by fammorris | February 21, 2022
A bit of a regurgitated article, the original order for 220 buses was in the press in October last year
https://www.vtransitcenter.com/2021/10/28/septa-approves-the-purchase-of-220-new-flyer-hybrids/
I’m not sure that the electrive.com article is accurate. Certainly from around 2010 BAE did supply their HybriDrive series hybrid propulsion system to ADL, however from 2019 BYD did a deal to supply a chassis and drive to the company.
The origins of the HybriDrive (and it’s HybriGen marine derivative) go back about 25 years to US military requirements and it was only after 2003 – 2004 when BAE Systems bought the American manufacturer that these hybrid drives were commercialised for the civilian market. As far as I’m aware the centre of excellence for these drive systems resides in Endicott, New York State.
Yes Canada’s New Flyer bought Alexander Dennis back in 2019, and you are right there’s little commonality. At the moment Alexander Dennis battery electric vehicles are based on a Chinese BYD chassis and propulsion system that while currently built in Hungary will move production to the UK this year.
I’m sure, however, that BAE will be fighting to re-establish its ADL relationship
Comment by fammorris | February 21, 2022 |
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