Chief Executive Colin Robertson set out ADL’s stall during a press briefing on the first day of Euro Bus Expo: “I am convinced this will be our best show yet. We position ourselves not only as the UK’s leading bus and coach manufacturer, but as a systems integrator and technology pioneer. We have a range of class-leading products bristling with technology with many brand new features being seen for the first time.
“Customer collaboration is at the centre of what we do. The new products and services we are bringing to market have been developed together with our customers to increase their operational efficiency and fleet reliability, to delight their passengers and to help respond to increasing environmental pressures. We’re continuing to invest in new product development as well as in our Aftermarket offering to make sure we deliver what our customers need. Their time and energy is a precious resource. It is in our gift to make sure this is spent productively by being easier to do business with.”
The continued drive for innovation does not detract from ADL’s core values, as Robertson explains: “Reliability is our cornerstone and will always be so – along with safety, it is non-negotiable and is the lifeblood of our business.”
AD24 personalises online Aftermarket user experience
The new AD24 digital offering makes doing Aftermarket business with Alexander Dennis easier by providing a one-stop solution encompassing parts sales, online training, online manuals, online service bulletins, a customer forum and the AD Connected vehicle solutions technology.
The new service redefines aftermarket support with industry-leading usability and a personalised user experience for customers, designed to offer an ideal solution for all of Alexander Dennis’s customers from the smallest private operators to large multinational groups. A 24/7 online parts shop is at the heart of AD24, with all makes’ parts easily searched combined with powerful options to display frequently purchased or saved items making it easier than ever to source high quality, original spare parts for Alexander Dennis buses, Plaxton coaches and other OEMs’ vehicles.
AD24 is live and available to UK operators at www.ad24.direct and its international rollout will commence in 2019.
Passenger-centric low and zero emission buses
Recognising that one size does not fit all and solutions to the air quality and climate challenges can be delivered in many guises, ADL offers the widest range of low and zero emission buses on the market and shows a selection of these at Euro Bus Expo 2018.
The successful BYD ADL partnership continues to lead the British market for electric buses with over 215 now delivered or firmly ordered and the Enviro400EV double decker on track to be launched in the first half of 2019. A new single deck Enviro200EV demonstrator will begin a tour of UK towns and cities after its appearance at Euro Bus Expo. It provides full zero emissions capability even on demonstrations thanks to a compact mobile EV charger that can be transported inside the vehicle and plugs into operators’ existing mains electricity.
The demonstrator has been built to a high specification that creates an atmosphere befitting its state-of-the-art environmental credentials with an electroluminescent ceiling as well as the provision of wireless phone charging on its two social seating tables – provided for the first time on a single deck bus – and a media shelf at the first raised row of seats.
Passengers will sit comfortably on the high-back ADL SmartSeat, which is now available with integrated passenger amenity consoles complete with wireless bell push, USB charger, phone holder, reading light and bag hooks.
Also featured is the SmartVision system that replaces traditional mirrors with high-definition digital cameras and displays mounted inside the cab for direct and clear visibility. With a wider angle covered and automatic adjustment of screen brightness as well as digital image correction to compensator for lighting, shadows and glare, SmartVision not only provides a safety benefit but also reduces the risk of mirror damage or injury to passengers or pedestrians.
The Enviro400 continues to be the UK’s favourite double deck bus thanks to its industry-leading reliability and the wide range of specification options available, as shown by two customer vehicles and a demonstrator on the ADL stand. Go South Coast has chosen the eye-catching City body style and SmartPack efficient diesel bus technology for its Bluestar operation in Southampton, while National Express Group picked a high-specification interior and SmartHybrid for its Xplore Dundee fleet.
The award-winning SmartPack and SmartHybrid technologies for efficient diesel buses have been developed in-house by ADL. They feature smart management of alternator and air compressor, engine stop-start technology and electrically-driven cooling fans. SmartHybrid adds a 48V mild hybrid system with long-lasting supercapacitor energy storage. Vehicles with both systems are accredited as Low Emission Buses by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, entitling operators to increased BSOG rates.
Another Low Emission Bus option is the biogas-fuelled Enviro400CBG City, which ADL produces together with chassis and technology partner Scania. Shown on the Scania stand, the 100th of these buses demonstrates the green credentials of biogas.
