| Alexander Dennis Enviro200 NewFlyer MiDi | |
|---|---|
.jpg) An Enviro200 Dart operated byStagecoach Merseyside | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Alexander Dennis |
| Production | 2003–2018 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1 or 2 doors |
| Floor type | Low floor |
| Chassis | Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MAN 14.240 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Cummins ISBe(Enviro200) MAN D0836 LOH 52(MAN 14.240) |
| Capacity | Various, dependent on length and specification |
| Power output | 140 hp (100 kW) to 240 hp (180 kW) |
| Transmission | Allison,Voith,ZF AS Tronic Lite,BAE Systems HybriDrive |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 8.9 to 11.8 m (29 to 39 ft) |
| Width | 2,440 mm (8.01 ft) |
| Height | 2,860 mm (9.38 ft) |
| Curb weight | 13–14.4 tonnes (gross) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Dennis Dart SLF Alexander ALX200 Plaxton Pointer |
| Successor | Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC |
TheAlexander Dennis Enviro200 (previously known as theTransBus Enviro200) is amidibus that was manufactured by TransBus International and laterAlexander Dennis between 2003 and 2018. The original TransBus Enviro200 design was innovative but ultimately unsuccessful, with few being sold before the introduction of the second generation Enviro200 (originally referred to as the Enviro200 Dart) revived sales for the product from 2006. It was supposed to be positioned in between aminibus and arigidsingle-decker bus.
The Enviro200 was originally designed to be the replacement for theDennis Dart SLF chassis andAlexander ALX200 andPlaxton Pointer 2 bodies. TheEnviro200 MMC was launched in 2014, eventually replacing the original Enviro200 andEnviro300, which went out of production in 2018 and 2016 respectively.
Over 6,000 Enviro200s had been built as of July 2017.[citation needed] From 2017, the Enviro200 was also marketed inNorth America. Previously, alicence-built version of the model was built byNew Flyer Industries and branded theMiDi.
The first generation Enviro200, then known as theTransBus Enviro200, was unveiled at Coach & Bus 2003 by the vehicle's then-manufacturer, TransBus International. Two diesel demonstrator buses were initially produced for display in 2003.
The first generation Enviro200 was unique in that it had a door both at the front and at the rear of the bus, as such a layout is rare in the UK – most dual-door buses in the UK have a door at the front and another door around the centre of the bus. This door layout was achieved by placing the engine vertically at the rear offside together with other driveline components, which also created afull low floor layout, common on buses inContinental Europe. An "Enviro Pack" mounted to the roof was also incorporated, intended to vent exhaust emissions, noise and heat away from ground level and thus alighting passengers. The design meant that the Enviro200, 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) and optioned at either 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in) or 11.1 m (36 ft 5 in) long, could hold up to 25% more passengers than a vehicle of equivalent dimensions (10.4 m (34 ft 1 in) long, 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) wide), with a capacity of 77, with 27 seated.[1]
A single demonstrator of the hybrid variant, the Enviro200H, was produced in 2004 and entered long-term trials inLondon;[1] however the unconventional engine and door layout,[2] combined with the collapse of TransBus International in 2004, led to the type's commercial failure. As a result, it was theVDL SB120-basedWright Electrocityhybrid electricsingle-decker bus that was ordered instead by many operators.
Following the collapse of TransBus, the Enviro200 was rebranded as the Alexander Dennis Enviro200 byAlexander Dennis, the successor to TransBus. Only two more first generation Enviro200s were built following the collapse of TransBus, one diesel and one hybrid vehicle, delivered to Far East Travel of Ipswich in early 2007. This pair, and the original London demonstrator, have since passed to Buses Excetera ofGuildford.
The first generation Enviro200 was offered alongside the second generation Enviro200 Dart for a time, but received no further orders following 2007 and was retired in favour of the new model. Only five examples were built and only one is known to exist today being the sole hybrid demonstrator for London, SN54 GRU. It was converted to diesel during its working life after its life as a demonstrator and is currently being restored.
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The second generation Enviro200, also known as theAlexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart, was launched in August 2006. TheDart moniker – in reference to theDennis Dart, from which the Enviro200 Dart was developed – was added in order to prevent confusion with the first generation TransBus Enviro200, which remained in production alongside the Enviro200 Dart for a time.[3]
The second generation Enviro200 retained the conventional rear-engined layout of the Dennis Dart, and was offered with a choice of four or six-cylinderCummins ISBe Euro IV engines with a range of transmission options, and featured new front and rear axles. It also offered the same seating capacity of thePlaxton Pointer andAlexander ALX200 (which it ultimately replaced) at launch, but with more fixed seats rather than 'tip up' seats for each length. The vehicle also featured integrated chassis and body multiplexing, and cantilevered seats, to reduce weight. Externally, the bus features the same front panel as the double-deckEnviro400, projecting a "family look" onto the two models.[3]
The Enviro200 chassis was also soon made available withOptare Esteem andMCV Evolution bodywork; this was followed in February 2007 by the launch of the Enviro200 body onMAN 14.240 chassis. This gave prospective operators the option ofEGR emissions reduction for the Enviro200, as some operators prefer this technology to Cummins'SCR used on the integral design.[4]
In August 2007, due to significant orders for theEnviro400, Alexander Dennis announced that the production of Enviro200 would be moved from its plant atFalkirk to the recently acquiredPlaxton factory atScarborough. This meant that the Scarborough factory would once again be producing the bodywork for a variation of the Dart chassis, while also producing the bodywork for the MAN 14.240 with bothPlaxton Centro and Enviro200 bodies simultaneously.
In 2008, Alexander Dennis unveiled the hybrid-electric powered version of Enviro200, known as the Enviro200H, usingBAE Systems's HybriDrive series drive system with the Cummins ISBe 4-cylinder engine fitted for power generation.[5][page needed] This model was more successful than the original hybrid Enviro200, albeit only by selling five examples toLondon United for use onroute 371 and nine to theStrathclyde Partnership for Transport, with five operated by Henderson Travel ofHamilton and the remaining four operated by Colchri Coaches ofRenfrew.[2]
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Following the Enviro200's launch, 60 orders were confirmed to have been placed, with the first production Enviro200 being delivered toJim Stones Coaches, an independent operator based inLeigh, Greater Manchester. Further orders from this first batch of 60 were delivered toAlliance & Leicester bank's vehicle rental operation,Travel London,Stagecoach London andPlymouth Citybus, with the remaining eleven forEpsom Coaches delivered with East Lancs Esteem bodies.[6]
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In 2009, the third generation Enviro200 was launched, dropping theDart moniker from the previous model. Compared to the previous model, the third generation Enviro200 received a major chassis redesign, including a front-end facelift in order to allow the type to comply with European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) regulations. Some of the major external changes included the introduction of whiteLEDdaytime running lights below the headlights, the relocation of the offside emergency door, redesigned front and rear bumpers and the introduction of several new Enviro200 lengths. Additionally, the third generation Enviro200 introduced aEuro V-compliant drivetrain.
In 2014, Alexander Dennis made changes to the running units of the third-generation Enviro200, which allowed for it to achieve 13% in fuel savings, qualifying the bus for low carbon certification and a subsequent 6p uplift in Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) purchase funding. The Allison automatic transmission was replaced with aZF AS-Liteautomated manual transmission, while thetorque converter was replaced with both an electronically controlled clutch and a true neutral gear, removing the need for moving parts while parked in neutral.[7]
Later in 2014, Alexander Dennis introduced theEnviro200 MMC (Major Model Change) as the Enviro200's eventual replacement. Production of the original Enviro200 alongside the Enviro200 MMC continued for a time, with the third generation Enviro200 referred to by Alexander Dennis as theEnviro200 Classic from 2015. Production of the third generation Enviro200 ceased in late 2018.
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While most Enviro200s have been for British operators, numerous examples have been exported to Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand and Spain.[8] The first of these was in January 2007, when theKowloon-Canton Railway Corporation ofHong Kong ordered 11 11.3 metres (37 ft) Enviro200s for delivery to itsMTR Bus operation in 2008.[9]
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In May 2012, Canadian bus manufacturerNew Flyer introduced a license-built version of the third generation Enviro200 as theNew Flyer MiDi,[10] modified for the North American market.[11] New Flyer estimated the size of the medium-sized bus market at approximately 1,000 units per year.[10][11]
Initially the MiDi was built at the New Flyer factory inSt. Cloud, Minnesota.[11][12] In May 2017 production was transferred to Alexander Dennis's own facility inNappanee, Indiana, which manufactured the North American variant of theEnviro500 double-decker bus since 2014. The bus now carries the same Enviro200 branding as the international version,[13] and is fully "Buy America" compliant.[12]
Currently, the third-generation North American Enviro200 bus is offered in 30-foot (9.1 m) and 35-foot (10.7 m) lengths,[10][12] with or without a rear exit door, equipped with a 250-hpCummins ISB engine and anAllison B300R 6-speed transmission.[12]
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In June 2012, Alexander Dennis acquired Australian bus body manufacturerCustom Coaches.[14] Alexander Dennis and Custom Coaches then begin producing Enviro200 buses. The buses were exported inknock-down kit form from the United Kingdom and then assembled in Custom Coaches' plant inVillawood, Sydney.[15] They differ from the United Kingdom version in not having a rear window in order to provide extra advertising space. Enviro200 buses were delivered to operators such asTullamarine Bus Lines (nowCDC Melbourne) and Shoal Bus inNew South Wales'South Coast.[16]
Custom Coaches stopped assembling Enviro200 buses after it went intoadministration in May 2014. At the time, it is estimated that Custom Coaches only made five Enviro200 buses during the two year period under Alexander Dennis' ownership. Custom Coaches was then sold by Alexander Dennis back to its previous owners in August that year.[17]
In New Zealand, investment companyInfratil'sNZ Bus operation ordered its first 118 Enivro200s in January 2011, with the chassis built by Alexander Dennis then exported inknock-down kit form for completion byKiwi Bus Builders ofTauranga.[18] The first batches of NZ Bus Enviro200s were delivered for use in the capitalAuckland during June.[19] A further 232 were later delivered to NZ Bus operations between 2011 and 2015.[citation needed]
In 2011, eight Enviro200s were deployed to NZ Bus' CityLink route in Auckland, with fifteen each being deployed to the then new OuterLink and the InnerLink. Around 2015, Infratril sold 21 Enviro200s to Pavlovich Coachlines, and later sold five to Ritchies Transport. The remaining 328 were distributed across the NZ Bus operation, with 196 delivered to Auckland, 113 delivered to Tauranga for Bay Hopper services, and the remaining nineteen delivered toWellington forGO Wellington services.[citation needed]
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Media related toAlexander Dennis Enviro200 at Wikimedia Commons