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LibertyBus is due to trial an electric bus capable of travelling over 160 miles on a single charge.
The 'Sigma 8', built by manufacturer Mellor Bus, will be on display in front of The Royal Yacht hotel tomorrow between 10:00 and 14:00 as part of a LibertyBus driver recruitment day.
The bus will then be used for the next few weeks, allowing the company to analyse its charging requirements and manoeuvrability.
In January, LibertyBus brought over a 'Yutong E9' bus for 'out of service' trials across all of the company's routes.
. @mellorcc launches Sigma 8 battery-electric bus at Euro Bus Expo#mellor #eurobusexpohttps://t.co/MtGHH469UT pic.twitter.com/YsWgwiYxYr
— Sustainable Bus (@BusSustainable) October 26, 2022
In August 2019, a double decker electric bus - a Metrodecker EV - was trialled in Jersey for six weeks, though, after repeated breakdowns, it was deemed unsuitable for the island's roads. A follow-up trial with a single decker bus was scheduled for February 2020, but had to be delayed due to supply issues.
In June 2021, the then-Infrastructure Minister Deputy Kevin Lewis said that costs were a key reason as to why the island had not gone electric with its bus fleet.
Speaking about the latest trial, LibertyBus Director Kevin Hart said: "We are excited about trialling the electric bus on the Island. The Mellor Sigma range are great little buses and we can’t wait to trial the bus on the network and share the results of the trial with the Government of Jersey."
Richard Matthews, sales director at Mellor, said the manufacturer’s Sigma range was capable of navigating "the narrow or constricted routes of the Channel Islands with ease".
"We believe our Sigma range of buses have huge potential to play a significant part in the Island’s efforts to improve its public transportation. These trials are a significant moment for Mellor as we look to expand our bus offering in the Channel Islands," he added.
Length? There are six models, from 7m to 12m
Passenger capacity? 31-80
Range? The vehicle is electrically driven, using a single drive motor which is powered by CATL 210 kWh ba[eries. This means that the vehicle can complete over 160 miles on a single charge.
Charging? Charging can be completed using 2 x DC charge guns, allowing compaDbility with other electric vehicles. The vehicle can be fully charged within 2 hours and 50 minutes.
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