Wrightbus launches new BEV brand and four electric commercial vehicles

Northern Irish bus manufacturer Wrightbus has unveiled four new battery-electric vehicles. Under the new Rightech brand, the company is launching two trucks - a 7.5-tonne left-hand drive and a right-hand drive - as well as a 6-metre and a 9-metre bus. They will be sold in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.

Let’s first look at the vehicles that Rightech has introduced, starting with the battery-electric truck. The RT75 UK and RT75 Europe are 7.5-tonne battery-electric trucks. They are fitted with a 107 kWh battery pack from CATL, which allows the vehicles to complete up to 230 kilometres on one charge. It can be charged from 20 to 80 per cent SoC in 50 minutes at the DC charger (up to 100 kWh). The vehicle can also be charged with 11 kW AC.

The motor is a liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous motor with 171 kW peak, while the maximum torque is 1,050 Nm. For the European version, the motor is said to offer 180 kW peak.

In the UK, the truck is available with two lengths of 7 and 7.9 metres and a wheelbase of 3.84 and 4.47 metres, respectively. The cab width is just shy of two metres, while the vehicle is 2.1 metres wide. It is 2.32 metres high. The curb weight and chassis payload are 3.32 tons and 4.17 tons for the shorter version, and 3.37 tons and 4.12 tons for the longer one.

These figures differ slightly from the European version. The biggest difference is that it comes in three lengths: 6 metres, 7 metres, and 7.8 metres, with wheelbases of 3.36, 3.84 and 4.47 metres, respectively.

The vehicle comes with a 3-year warranty (or 62,000 miles), and the battery with a 6-year warranty (or 182,000 miles) – whichever comes first. It should be mentioned that later on the spec sheet, Rightech specifies the warranty for the battery to be 8 years (or 250,000 miles).

Two battery-electric buses for urban transport

Rightech also offers two battery-electric buses, the RB9 and RB6. The number stands for the vehicles’ length.

The nine-metre version comes with a 282 kWh LFP battery pack, also supplied by CATL, offering a range of up to 300 kilometres. The bus can fast-charge with up to 150 kW, meaning that it takes 1 hour and 24 minutes to go from 20 to 80 per cent SoC. The electric motor offers 245 kW peak, with maximum torque being 3,300 Nm.

The bus has a wheelbase of 4.54 metres and offers room for up to 57 passengers, 27 of them seated.

The smaller bus has room for 22 people, 12 of them seated. It has a wheelbase of two metres. Just like its big brother, it is fitted with a CCS inlet and can charge with up to 150 kW. At that rate, it takes 37 minutes to charge the 89-kWh battery pack (20 to 80% SoC), which also uses LFP chemistry and is also supplied by CATL. The range is about 196 kilometres.

The permanent magnet synchronous motor has a power output of 135 kW peak. Maximum torque is 350 Nm.

A company just for ZEVs

According to the press release, Rightech “has already secured orders across the target territories,” meaning in the UK, Ireland, and mainland Europe. Specific customers, the number of vehicles ordered or predicted delivery dates are not mentioned.

Parent company Wrightbus emphasises how its expertise in zero-emission vehicles will help the new Rightech brand take off. At the same time, it states: “A strategic framework agreement with two Chinese manufacturers provides the basis for the new products, though Wrightbus engineers have spent more than 30,000 hours bringing the fleet up to the Wrightbus standard – independently testing, homologating, designing and validating every element.” The Chinese manufacturers are JAC for the trucks and King Long for the buses.

There are also service agreements in place – with Sapphire for the UK and service providers in Germany, France, and Benelux. All new products are said to come with “a Wrightbus warranty, service and maintenance package,” meaning that customers will benefit from existing service infrastructure. And speaking of infrastructure, chargers for the battery-electric vehicles from Rightech will be supplied by Ryze Power, which belongs to Wrightbus owner Jo Bamford.

“Each one of my businesses is focused on energy transition, from vehicles, hydrogen and sustainable fuels through to supply, distribution and infrastructure,” says Bamford. “But operators need to act now with affordable solutions in front of them. Rightech has the answer – offering an incredible product with the backing of Britain’s best bus manufacturer.”

“We want to be a global mobility business and to do this we need to broaden our product portfolio. Our factory continues to increase production of full-size single and double-deck buses but to meet demand in the zero-emission midi-bus sector this partnership makes sense. The quickest way to decarbonise truck and bus fleets is to electrify immediately,” says Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales. “Rightech will solve these problems, backed by our portfolio of net-zero companies which will provide more jobs and opportunities for our workforce in Northern Ireland, the rest of the UK and Europe.”

wrightbus.com, rightech.eco (specs), vision-mobility.de (JAC & King Long, in German)