MILPITAS, Calif. — Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI), a global leader in advanced high-efficiency zero emissions plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle drivetrain solutions, today announced the availability of its EDI PowerDrive 4000ev, which is ideally suited for Type-A school buses. The Class-4 offering rounds out the company’s all-electric school bus solution portfolio, spanning the full spectrum for Type C, D, and A, in the North American market.
With a captive ridership of 26 million students, the number of vehicles in the nation’s school bus fleet is bigger than commercial buses, trains, and air travel services combined, reaching almost half a million buses. Traditional vehicles deployed each morning and afternoon expose students and the surrounding community to 15 times more mobile particulates than their cleaner, electrified counterparts. Overall, the industry is accelerating the adoption of zero-emissions buses to improve air quality and reduce exposing children and local communities to toxic emissions. Paired with available government subsidy and incentive programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, school districts can now benefit from low cost of ownership and sustainable transport for its students.
EDI has already made significant strides in the electrification of the school bus market, working with top OEMs to provide its EDI PowerDrive solution as a vehicle electrification kit and developer’s support program. The EDI PowerDrive electrification kit enables school bus manufacturers to rapidly bring EV solutions to market, and includes a high-efficiency drivetrain—the EDI PowerDrive, vehicle control and telematics software—EDI PowerSuite, and the requisite training and support infrastructure to stand up production lines. To accelerate market introductions, EDI is also available to install the powertrain systems and perform vehicle integration as a service for OEMs as they bring solutions to market.
The company’s all-electric powertrain, the EDI PowerDrive 7000ev is HVIP certified on leading OEM platforms for Type C and D buses, with Type A following later this year. By integrating EDI’s drivetrain and vehicle control software into school bus platforms, OEMs can offer fleet operators the benefit of zero-emissions driving, significant reduction in fuel costs, and reduced total cost of ownership. Bus drivers who operate the vehicle will continue to experience a standard driving experience—all of the expected full power vehicle performance of the OEM, while eliminating harmful emissions.
Joerg Ferchau, CEO, said, “The school bus industry continues to make significant progress in providing zero-emissions options to school districts. Paired with available government incentive programs, fleet operators are now able to provide a strong business case for replacing older vehicles, and can demonstrate that in addition to electric buses providing clean air, they are less expensive to fuel and maintain, reducing the overall total cost of ownership. With the addition of our latest EDI PowerDrive 4000ev offering for Type-A buses, school bus manufacturers can now speed time to market, and offer a full portfolio of electrified options.”
About EDI
Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. develops and markets a range of state-of-the-art EV and PHEV drivetrain solutions worldwide. EDI’s leading-edge hybrid-electric drivetrain systems and technologies enable OEMs to meet zero-emissions requirements. The products provide significant cost and efficiency advantages for parallel and series hybrid drivetrain architectures across nearly all platform classes and configurations. EDI is currently active in EV and PHEV automotive projects throughout North America and the APAC region.
