60’ electric bus achieves 2.0 kWh/mile during round trip from Portland, OR to Tacoma, WA for WSTA conference

The “Desert Rose,” a 2007 New Flyer 60’ refurbished bus powered by the Voith Electrical Drive System (VEDS), successfully completed its 280 mile trip from Portland, OR to Tacoma, WA and back along with a test drive at the WSTA Spring Maintenance Conference.

The details are impressive. An average 2.0 kWh/mile for the 140 mile each direction drive with a 60’ Transit Bus riding at 50 MPH average is astonishing. The test drive, with WSTA participants as passengers, had no problem traversing a route with up to 19% grade in the Tacoma’s downtown hills - confirming the exceptional power availability of the VEDS.

“ The Trip was a great success with the validation of the Voith Electrical Drive System reliability, range and gradeability targets achieved. From a service perspective the ride up to Tacoma and back from Portland was a great opportunity to see in real-time all the performance data using our diagnostics tools,”?says Brian Rowe, Technical Field Service Manager - VEDS at Voith Turbo.

The battery pack system has 606 kWh and the motor has 410 kW peak power. The outstanding performance is a testament of Voith engineering and Complete Coach Works ability to marry the VEDS technology with reconditioning.

The “Desert Rose” is an example of transit recycling. Instead of heading to a landfill, the New Flyer has a new zero emission life transporting the populace of Portland.?

"We're very proud that the Desert Rose confirmed the results we've achieved with renowned OEMs in Europe. Saving energy with the VEDS allows for increased range and will help transit agencies meet their climate goals toward zero emissions. In this context, refurbishments are a great opportunity to electrify their fleets,"??summarizes Luiz Soares, Head of e-mobility at Voith Turbo in the US.