Wrightbus StreetDeck Ultroliner Next-Gen To Get Cummins Power
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Route One.
These three paragraphs give more details.
Wrightbus will utilise Cummins power in its StreetDeck Ultroliner diesel double-decker for the first time in a next-generation variant of that model.
Those vehicles will be powered by the six-cylinder B6.7 engine rated at 250bhp or 300bhp, driving through the Voith DIWA.8 seven-speed automatic gearbox. Such an approach will further reduce emissions, and the new model will be Ultra-Low Emission Bus accredited by Zemo Partnership, the manufacturer says.
The existing StreetDeck Ultroliner, which is powered by the Daimler OM 934 four-cylinder engine, will continue to be available. The first Cummins-powered examples are to be supplied to Isle of Man operator Bus Vannin.
As a hydrogen version of the the Cummins six-cylinder B6.7 engine is available, at some point in the future, these buses will be convertible to zero-emission hydrogen power.
Wrightbus have already set up a division called New Power to do the conversion of existing buses, as I reported in Wrightbus Launches NewPower In Bicester.
London’s New Tram-Like Buses Come Into Service
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
I went to Orpington station and all I saw was several small diesel single-decker buses running around in the awful cold.
So I retreated on a warm train after a couple of hours.
One driver said that the reams were running and she looked genuinely disappointed, that they hadn’t turned up.
But from my knowledge of electric vehicles, although not Irizar ie Trams, I do wonder if the single-figure temperatures in Orpington had drained the batteries.
But I can’t imagine a company like Irizar making a mistake like that.
Although one of the station men said that Orpington can get to be a very cold station. Now that is something I’ll agree with!
In the other hand the 358 route takes an hour from end to end, so in my opinion, it might have been better to use hydrogen-powered buses.
Australian Volgren Rolls Out First Hydrogen Bus Based On Wrightbus Chassis Technology
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Sustainable Bus.
These four paragraphs outline the progress.
Australian bus bodybuilder Volgren is rolling out of production a first hydrogen-powered bus model manufactured in cooperation with Northern Irish bus manufacturer Wrightbus.
Back in 2019, Volgren announced launch of its first battery-electric on BYD chassis. The deal with Wrightbus for fuel cell bus manufacturing in Australia dates back to May 2022.
With over 150 zero-emission buses already in operation, spanning six variants of both battery-electric and fuel-cell technologies, this hydrogen-powered bus represents the latest addition in Volgren’s offer.
A second hydrogen bus is already in production and will be delivered to the customer in the coming months, Volgren says.
It will be interesting to see how this deal develops.
Will it follow the successful path set by some of JCB’s deals around the world, or will the Chinese feel Australia is their patch and find a way to kick Wrightbus and its technology, out of the country?
Wrightbus Signs Deal For Largest Ever Order
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Ballymena bus manufacturer Wrightbus has signed a deal to supply more than 1,000 buses to operator Go-Ahead over the next three years.
These are the first three paragraphs.
The company said it is the largest deal in its 78-year history and will be worth up to half a billion pounds.
Go-Ahead is an international transport group and one of the UK’s largest public service providers.
Wrightbus has had a strong 2024 with 786 buses registered so far this year and it now employs more than 2,000 people.
It finally looks like Wrightbus is securely on the road again.
Spotlight On The IVECO E-WAY H2: Less Weight, 15% More Passenger Capacity
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Sustainable Bus.
This is the sub-heading.
Up to seven time less batteries than a BEV bus (one module instead of 7), with 15% more passengers. These are the specifications mostly stressed by IVECO BUS when outlining the features of IVECO BUS E-WAY H2, presented at Busworld 2023 in Brussels. The bus model derives directly from the E-WAY BEV bus model
Note.
- The hydrogen fuel cell technology is from Hyundai.
- The bus is designed to be lighter in weight, which increases passenger capacity from 93 to 111 and gives an enhanced range.
- The driveline is from Accelera by Cummins, with a Siemens electric motor.
- IVECO provide the front axle and ZF the rear.
- Surprisingly, the bus is assembled from stainless steel panels, onto a steel floor.
It strikes me, that if the late great Colin Chapman had designed a bus, it would follow some of IVECO’s design.
Conclusion
This bus could set the standard for hydrogen-powered buses.
I particularly liked the saving in lithium compared to an electric bus.
City Airport May Help Others To Take Flight
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The government’s decision to lift the cap on permitted passengers at London City airport is a compromise that could be a template for future growth
These are the first two paragraphs.
Planning decisions always upset someone. Still, credit to housing secretary Angela Rayner and the transport supremo Louise Haigh for annoying all sides with one of the first from the new Labour government: allowing London City airport to lift its cap on permitted passengers a year to nine million from the present 6.5 million.
Their verdict hacked off Newham council, which has long opposed the airport’s expansion, leaving it “deeply concerned” over the noise impact on local residents. It angered environmental campaigners, with Greenpeace saying it’d “undermine the UK’s climate leadership”. And it even “disappointed” the airport’s boss, Alison FitzGerald, who wanted an end to the 24-hour flight curfew from 12.30pm on Saturday but failed to get it pushed out to 6.30pm.
The government seem to have chosen a good compromise that has annoyed several parties.
The article goes on to argue, that we should make the best use of the thirty regional airports in the UK.
So shouldn’t the priority be to utilise regional capacity better, via airline and airport incentives if necessary, to minimise journey times to airports and spread the noise and air pollution around? Only then should ministers consider big new projects.
That seems very sensible to me.
Consider.
- Technology will bring us quieter and more environmentally-friendly aircraft, that will benefit those near the airport.
- Electric aircraft are closer to service entry than you think.
- Good public transport links to an airport, would surely cut car usage for both passengers and employees.
- Bus networks to many airports could be improved and made more attractive to passengers, by using modern electric or hydrogen buses. Even Gatwick is taking this route!
- Cranbrook station and Exeter Airport were supposed to have a bus link, but nothing has happened.
- Several airports are near main railway lines and it would be possible to build a station. It will be interesting to see how passenger traffic at the new Inverness station develops.
- East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford and Liverpool Airports are larger regional airports, that are close, but not directly connected to the rail network.
- Carlisle and Exeter Airports don’t have the best of websites. Humberside sets a good standard.
- Doncaster Sheffield Airport has everything except a rail link and scheduled services.
Some of these improvements are not major and would surely be worthwhile, especially with a small amount of compromise.
Korean Hydrogen Bus Adoption Emerging To Block Low-Priced Electric Buses From China
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on BusinessKorea.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Major Korean business groups such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, and POSCO are expanding the introduction of hydrogen buses. They are more efficient than electric buses, and can run 635 kilometers on a single charge, making them suitable for long-distance commuting. Expanding hydrogen mobility, including buses, is considered the first step in building an entire hydrogen ecosystem.
SK Group is one of the most active companies in expanding hydrogen buses. According to SK Group on May 26, SK siltron has decided to replace its commuter buses for employees of its Gumi plant in North Gyeongsang Province with hydrogen buses. Additional deployments are under consideration after a pilot run in the first half of the year. In early May, SK hynix introduced three of the Universe model, Hyundai’s hydrogen bus for commuting. SK E&S recently completed the world’s largest liquefied hydrogen plant in Incheon and plans to soon expand its hydrogen refueling stations nationwide to 20.
The Korean bus seem to have developed a strategy to protect themselves from the Chinese.
I have a few thoughts.
Korea And HiiROC
Hyundai and Kia have joined Centrica in taking stakes in Hull-based startup HiiROC, which I wrote about in Meet HiiROC, The Startup Making Low-Cost Hydrogen Free From Emissions.
London’s Future Bus Fleet
There are rumours on the Internet that Sadiq Khan, will replace all London’s buses with new Chinese buses.
How will I get around, as I don’t ride in anything that was made in China?
Conclusion
We live in interesting times.
Redevelopment Of Scottish Port Begins As Owner Secures GBP 400 Million For Offshore Wind Upgrade
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Haventus, the owner of the Ardersier Port in the Moray Firth, Scotland, has taken a final investment decision and kicked off construction work on redeveloping the port to serve both fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind projects. The revamped port is expected to open in the second half of 2025.
These are the first two paragraphs.
This month, Haventus was granted a GBP 100 million (approximately 117 million) joint credit facility from the Scottish National Investment Bank and UK Infrastructure Bank with GBP 50 million (approx. EUR 58.5 million) investment from each.
This follows a GBP 300 million (approx. 351 million) investment commitment by the energy investment firm Quantum Capital Group in 2023 when Haventus began the redevelopment of Ardersier Port.
This page on the Haventus web site, gives more details of the Port of Ardersier.
Included are.
- Access channel width – 160 m.
- Access channel depth – 12.4 m.
- Landside area – 350 acres.
- 420m main quay.
- 80 m Ro/Ro capable berth.
- People-friendly midges
- Green Freeport tax site designation
- More space is available if required.
There is also an informative video.
Haventus say they are delivering a world-leading energy transition facility. I can go along with that!
These are my thoughts.
The Location Of The Port of Ardersier
This Google Map shows the location of the Port of Ardersier.
Note.
- The large expanse of water in the middle of the map is Moray Firth.
- The blue arrow at the bottom of the map indicates Inverness Airport.
- Inverness Airport, has a railway station on the Aberdeen and Inverness Line.
- The village of Ardersier is on the the Eastern bank of the Moray Firth
- The Port of Ardersier is in the North-East corner of the map.
The city of Inverness, with a population of around 48,000, is a few miles South-West of the South-West corner of the map.
Which Windfarms Will Be Built And Serviced From The Port Of Ardersier?
This map shows the various ScotWind leases, around the North of Scotland.
The numbers are Scotwind’s lease number in their documents.
These are the Scotwind wind farms to the North-East of Scotland, that could reasonably be assumed to be built and served from the Port of Ardersier.
- 7 – DEME Concessions Wind – 200 km² – 1.0 GW – Floating
- 8 – Falck Renewables Wind – 256 km² – 1.0 GW – Floating
- 9 – Ocean Winds – 429 km² – 1.0 GW – Fixed
- 10 – Falck Renewables Wind – 134 km² – 0.5 GW – Floating
- 11 – Scottish Power Renewables – 684 km² – 3.0 GW – Floating
- 12 – BayWa r.e. UK – 330 km² – 1.0 GW – Floating
These are the Scotwind wind farms to the North-West of Scotland, that could reasonably be assumed to be built and served from the Port of Ardersier.
- 13 – Offshore Wind Power – 657 km² – 2.0 GW – Fixed or Floating
- 14 – Northland Power – 390 km² – 1.5 GW – Floating
- 15 – Magnora – 103 km² – 0.5 GW – Floating
- 16 – Northland Power – 161 km² – 0.8 GW – Floating
These ten wind farms add up to 12.3 GW.
Transport
Consider.
- Obviously, heavy components will be brought in by sea, using the Ro/Ro capable berth or using a crane to unload a barge.
- Personnel will be able to fly in for the day.
- Will some visitors rom London use the Caledonian Sleeper to and from Inverness station to get a full day on site and a good night’s sleep, whilst travelling.
But I do see a problem with local traffic to and from the site.
Hydrogen Buses
This page on the Sizewell C web site, discusses how they will use hydrogen buses.
I could see the Port of Ardersier taking a leaf out of Sizewell C’s book and run hydrogen buses to Inverness, Inverness Airport and other nearby towns.
The North of Scotland certainly won’t be short of green hydrogen to power the buses.
Hydrogen
Conclusion
If you thought that the only useful wind-driven thing to come out of Scotland was bagpipes, you had better think again.
The Port of Ardersier will be the factory and operation and maintenance port for one of the largest offshore wind industries in the world.
It’s All Happening In Jamshedpur!
When I read this article on Hydrogen Fuel News, which is entitled Cummins And Tata Motors Ignite Change With H2 Internal Combustion Engines, I couldn’t resist using the jokey headline, which was inspired by the sub-heading.
The manufacturing has started in Jamshedpur, India at a new state-of-the-art facility
These two paragraphs give some more details.
The hydrogen internal combustion engines continuing to be produced at the facility are being integrated into Tata Motors trucks. This technology is being viewed as a promising zero- or low-carbon alternative to diesel power because of its powerful performance and substantial operating range.
Cummins’ B6.7H engines have notable similarities to current natural gas and diesel engines, particularly in terms of the components they contain. Moreover, they can fit in standard engine vehicles and require similar refueling times.
I first wrote about the Cummins B 6.7H engines in Cummins Shows Hydrogen Internal Combustion-Engined Concept Truck At IAA Transportation Exhibition, which I posted in September 2022.
I have these further thoughts.
Cummins B Series Engine
The Wikipedia entry for the Cummins B Series Engine, starts with these two paragraphs.
The Cummins B Series is a family of diesel engines produced by American manufacturer Cummins. In production since 1984, the B series engine family is intended for multiple applications on and off-highway, light-duty, and medium-duty. In the automotive industry, it is best known for its use in school buses, public service buses (most commonly the Dennis Dart and the Alexander Dennis Enviro400) in the United Kingdom, and Dodge/Ram pickup trucks.
Since its introduction, three generations of the B series engine have been produced, offered in both inline-four and inline-six configurations in multiple displacements.
Note.
- Cummins B Series is used in a wide variety of vehicles.
- It is available in both four and six cylinder versions.
But what Wikipedia doesn’t say, is that any Cummins’ customer will get the engine he wants for his application, even if it means creating a special version of the engine. Thirty years ago, I did a small data analysis job for Cummins in Darlington and on a tour of the works, I was given full details on how they treated customers. Cummins are not your average US company.
London’s Routemaster Buses
These buses are powered by a small four-cylinder version of the B-series engine, called a 4.5L ISB, which is described like this in Wikipedia.
The 4.5L ISB is essentially a four-cylinder, two-thirds version of the 6.7L ISB rated at 185 hp (138 kW), used in the New Routemaster, a series hybrid diesel-electric double-decker bus in London.
Note.
- Some diesel Range-Rovers, have more power, than these buses, but then they’re not hybrids.
- The engine also needs to be smaller, as it’s mounted under the back stairs.
Did Cummins’ special engine. allow the unique design of London’s Routemaster Buses?
Could London’s Routemaster Buses Be Converted To Hydrogen?
As an engineer and with my knowledge of Cummins’ design and manufacturing methods, I am fairly certain, if Cummins can manufacture six-cylinder versions of the B-Series engines, then four-cylinder hydrogen-powered engines are not far behind.
If London were to convert the thousand New Routemaster buses to hydrogen, there would be winners all round.
- Cummins would love the publicity and would probably benefit from increased sales of their hydrogen engines in vehicles like refuse trucks and small buses.
- It would surely give a route to convert older vehicles to hydrogen.
- The air in cities will improve.
But London has a problem, It is one of the few large cities in the world without readily-available hydrogen.
As this post illustrates and my Google searches show, India has a more advanced and scientifically-correct view on the usefulness of hydrogen.
Will Jaguar Land Rover Switch To Cummins’ Hydrogen Engines?
If Tata Motors make a success of hydrogen in India, it must make them think about adding hydrogen engines to Jaguar Land Rover products, specially as other manufacturers are getting serious about hydrogen.
Conclusion
Cummins will change the world for the better.
Wrightbus Secures Further German Order For 46 Hydrogen Buses
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Wrightbus.
These paragraphs outline the deal.
World-beating zero-emission bus manufacturer Wrightbus today announced a milestone deal to provide 46 hydrogen buses to Germany – taking a demo bus from Belfast to showcase its reliability and range.
The buses ordered by Cottbusverkehr GmbH will serve the city of Cottbus, the second largest city in the state of Brandenburg, and and in the western part of the district of Spree-Neiße.
It follows a landmark announcement by the German government to implement a €350 million scheme to support the production of renewable hydrogen.
Wrightbus is Europe’s fastest-growing bus manufacturer and follows the company’s rapid rise since it was bought out of administration in 2019. It was named Northern Ireland’s fastest-growing company by Growth Index this week – employing 1,650 people and producing 22 buses a week.
The Cottbus order for the Kite Hydroliner buses follow deals in Germany with West Verkehr, Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK), and Saarbahn GmbH, with more European orders in the pipeline.
If Northern Irish hydrogen buses are selling well to the Germans, why are there so few in the UK.
These pictures show the UK version of the German buses in Crawley.
They are excellent buses.
The Anonymous Widower 