Electric vehicles for London and North America form a big part of Alexander Dennis’s immediate plans for new products, but the market leading manufacturer says these are grounded in proven technology rather than science fantasy, as ALAN MILLAR reports
Alexander Dennis chief executive Colin Robertson has a way with words, delivering memorable sound bites that capture the mood of a moment.
One he has been heard using lately is ‘unobtainium’, his term for a mythical nonpolluting material that optimistic scientists hope will power tomorrow’s buses at a fraction of the price of today’s fossil fuels. Except that the clue is in the name. Whatever this magic element is meant to be, its existence is a myth. It is unobtainable.
As he outlines the ultra-low emission and zero emission products in the pipeline from the UK’s market leading bus manufacturer, Robertson insists that these will all be powered by traction systems and fuel sources that most certainly do exist today, are practical, proven and affordable. There is no quest for supplies of ‘unobtainium’ at its factories in Guildford, Falkirk, Scarborough or the assembly operations it has established for export products in Asia and North America.
But it is pu…
