The Enviro400H City is a stunning new variant of Britain’s best-selling double deck bus.
It is a hybrid vehicle that brings together elegance and practicality and ushers in a contemporary new look that features a raft of sophisticated, yet pragmatic design solutions, all of which give it real street presence. In parallel with this, it retains the passenger comforts and dependability that are the hallmark of the market-leading
Enviro400 range.
It is another vehicle from Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) that raises the bar for the industry. It is lighter, more fuel efficient, more reliable and more competitively-priced than any double deck in its class, yet it is still capable of carrying almost 90 passengers.
The 10.4m two-door Enviro400H City sets the pace in terms of style and performance and builds on the unrivalled reputation of the regular Enviro400, a vehicle hailed at its launch as the bus “designed by the industry … for the industry.”
A mix of evolution and revolution, the Enviro400H City is powered by diesel-electric propulsion, which brings together the proven robustness and fuel efficiency of the Cummins four-cylinder, 4.5 litre iSBe engine; BAE Systems’ HybriDrive technology and the latest generation of Lithium-ion batteries.
Innovation with Style
Innovation with Style is the hallmark of all new ADL vehicles – and the Enviro400H City is no exception to that rule. It is an inspired successor to the original Enviro400 hybrid and is set to bring a new dimension to public transport in both the suburbs and the built-up city centre of London – and elsewhere.
It features a raked, wrap-round driver’s windscreen with the wipers recessed at the top, a stylish glazed stairwell, and a shallow upper deck windscreen which, combined with other design features, significantly reduces solar gain in warm weather.
The City also retains the same depth of windows as the regular Enviro400, incorporating ADL’s unique QRG (quick release glazing) system, while both the upper and lower deck windows also feature hopper vents, an aspect of the regular model that has proved hugely popular with operators and passengers in London and across the UK.
Combined with the radical new heating and ventilation system introduced previously, the City – with its Enviro200-style asymmetric front windscreen – is set to introduce not only a contemporary new look but an enhanced passenger experience.
From an operator perspective, it also retains the proven structure, driveline, electrical system and ease-of-maintenance improvements introduced by ADL on the regular model, all of which were the result of a comprehensive, three-year customer engagement and joint product development programme with operators, drivers, passengers and suppliers from across the industry.
Innovation, style and service simplicity remain omnipresent in the new City.
The industry’s driving force
Setting the pace with a stylish, modern bus that is lighter, more fuel efficient and improves the passenger experience, represents a significant step forward in the world of low-emission buses. But what does it mean for the driver, the person who spends more time on the bus than any other?
The answer is that drivers too will enjoy the benefits of the City bus, largely because they – and many others from across the bus industry – were instrumental in the design of the Enviro400 double deck, which forms the foundation of the new-generation hybrid model.
Their representatives from across the UK played a vital part in ADL’s three-year customer engagement and joint product development programme and contributed enormously to many aspects of the pace-setting design, not least of all in determining the layout of the cab area.
The result is a driver’s cab designed for maximum comfort, safety, efficiency and ease of use. The protection screen at the point of entry is no longer an adjunct to the design. It now forms an integral part of the whole approach, being functional and blending impeccably with the surrounding environment.
Inside, the cab is spacious and distracting reflections have been cleverly eliminated, while visibility is further improved with the wrap-around windscreen on the City model, which enhances sight lines to the front, the sides of the vehicle and to well-positioned mirrors.
The City’s switch-gear will be familiar to drivers too, adopting the positive feedback buttons that have proved enormously popular, as has the adjustable steering column, incorporating the dashboard and the fully adaptable driver’s seat.
Likewise, screens and technical data – whether vital or optional – remain highly visible to the driver and within easy reach.
From screens, seats and steering columns to the location of a coat hanger for the driver, every aspect of the cab area has been explored in detail, resulting in a finished product that combines innovation, style and practical solutions, three aspects that are the hallmark of the new Enviro400H City.
Enhanced passenger experience
Light, airy, welcoming, three words that describe the experience passengers can expect on entering the new Enviro400H City.
They will be struck immediately by the wide entrance and aisles, the ample space for baby buggies and wheelchair users, the natural light that floods in through the wrap-around front windows, the glazed stairwell and the sky-view glazing at the rear of the upper deck.
All round, a bright, convivial ambience matched by a sophisticated temperature control system and hopper windows that combine to provide an enhanced passenger experience, whatever the weather may be on the outside.
The whole interior, both downstairs and upstairs, has been designed so that shapes, colours and materials blend together – and there is no compromise on leg room or seat sizes.
Every detail, from ADL’s unique “square case”, which incorporates individually lit steps, to a wireless bell system and sealed hand pole mountings has been thought-out meticulously, all in a bid to create a safer, more user-friendly, rattle-free vehicle that raises the bar for the bus industry – and takes the passenger experience to a whole new level.
5,000-milestone for BAE Systems’ hybrid technology
The striking new bus is lighter, more fuel efficient and will generate fewer CO2 emissions than any vehicle in its class, says Colin Robertson, CEO of British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL).
He added: “Significantly, our new flagship double deck takes us towards 900 hybrid buses built by ADL for the UK market, all of which incorporate the BAE Systems HybriDrive® propulsion system. Together we have forged a powerful technology alliance with BAE Systems that is changing the face of public transport and steadily introducing greener, cleaner vehicles in towns and cities that are striving to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.
“The contribution of low-emission buses should not be under-estimated and, on the wider front, BAE Systems – like ADL – is in the vanguard of that movement globally. The first of our new Enviro400H City buses for London is, in fact, the 5,000th BAE Systems’ HybriDrive series system to go into service worldwide, which is a remarkable achievement for BAE Systems and their various build partners.”
Steve Trichka, General Manager of HybriDrive Solutions at BAE Systems, Inc. said: “We are absolutely delighted to be recognising this important milestone with ADL, our key technology partner. We have invested a great deal of resources in creating what we believe is a world leading product range capable of achieving 24/7 operation in the toughest city bus fleets across the globe, while saving fuel and reducing harmful emissions. The fact that ADL’s spectacular new bus incorporates our 5,000th system is a demonstration of the strong partnership we have developed over the past eight years. It is a relationship built on shared values and the belief that together we can make a difference.”