North America: ADL appoints contract manufacturing partner

The demand for Alexander Dennis double-deck buses is on the rise in North America. Thus, The British bus manufacturer appointed Big Rig Manufacturing as a contract manufacturing partner to help supply its diesel and its electric variant of the Enviro500 to Canada and the US.

The buses will be assembled at Big Rig Manufacturing’s new facility in Las Vegas, in the US state of Nevada, starting next year. “Alexander Dennis engineering and production staff will be located permanently on site at the brand-new facility in Las Vegas, supporting chassis production, major sub-assembly and full production of the bus body,” the manufacturer says in a statement. Moreover, it emphasises that this way, it also meets the “Buy America-compliant arrangements.”

“We’re excited about this new opportunity with Big Rig Manufacturing, which provides an elegant solution to restarting double deck production in North America,” says Stephen Walsh, Vice-President and General Manager of Alexander Dennis in North America.

The 45-foot Enviro500EV CHARGE has a passenger capacity of up to 82 seats, including 53 on the upper deck. It has two axle-mounted motors with 125 kW peak each. The battery capacity of the Enviro500EV Charge stands at 648 kWh of energy storage integrated “in the chassis and the rear of the vehicle for a low centre of gravity and great stability.” The bus can be charged via CCS1, with charging inlets available on the left or right side of the bus. Gantry charging via overhead lines is also an option.

Alexander Dennis previously produced the Enviro500 in Toronto and Ontario in Canada, as well as in Nappanee in the US state of Indiana. However, production there was stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting drop in orders.

alexander-dennis.com, alexander-dennis.com (specifications)