RENO, Nev. — A prototype of the next-generation Micro Bird G5e, the first Type A school bus to be powered by a lithium iron phosphate battery, was on hand at the Green Bus Summit Ride and Drive on Sunday as part of STN EXPO Reno.
Eric Boule, the company’s president and CEO, announced the latest Type A prior to a lunchtime session. The school bus equipped with one-pedal driving and a regenerative braking system will accommodate up to 30 passengers with a range of up to 200 miles or 320 kilometers via either a 140 kWh or 175 kWh power capacity.
“This is to propose to the to the customer different options, depending on their mission that they have, wheelchairs, no wheelchairs, air conditioning, no air conditioning, short versus long roads,” Boule told School Transportation News.
Earlier, Boule told the Green Bus Summit audience that the Ecotuned drivetrain is equipped with a 250 kW traction motor and an integrated single speed reducer. Gravel said this, rather than using two, three or four speeds, allows for a 25 percent gradability and improved startability.
The vehicle will include a fleet management system with a remotely activated cabin and battery preconditioning possible, he added. Active thermal management will be available for over 4,000 LFP battery cycles and will be equipped with thermal insulation to achieve ultimate performance in cold and hot conditions.
“Essentially, the bus will operate in any kind of real-world weather and remain optimally configured in terms of its activity,” Marc Gravel, general manager for Micro Bird-owned drivetrain integrator Ecotuned, later explained to STN. “And that’s important. I think that’s going to be also an innovation, because we come from Canada, so we see every environment possible.”
Boule said the next-generation G5e is scheduled to go into production in January with initial deliveries expected in March.
Editor’s note — A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to active thermal management of up to 4,000 battery cycles rather than over 4,000 cycles.
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