A Riverside bus remanufacturing company was recognized Friday, Oct. 3, by the South Coast Air Quality Management District for advancing air pollution technology.
Complete Coach Works developed its own system for retrofitting transit buses with nonpolluting electric engines. Their Zero-Emission Propulsion System allows buses to go more than 120 miles between charges.
Complete Coach Works announced today that they have completed the acquisition of American Bus Repair an Alameda California based company providing bus repair, as well as a complete body and paint services to the coach, transit and truck market throughout Northern California and the Central Valley.
By combining our complimentary customer accounts and adding the structural, power train and electronics capabilities of Complete Coach Works we will be able to offer our Northern California customer base the full compliment of services Complete Coach Works is known for without the nine hundred mile round trip.
“We look forward to serving ABR’s existing customer base with the current products and services they are accustomed to including scheduled Diesel Particulate Trap cleaning and refurbishment, collision repair as well as fleet repaint and decal work, general bus repair, field service and onsite services while enhancing their overall capabilities with engine repowers, wheelchair lift retrofits, air conditioning retrofits, interior retrofits, reupholstery work as well as bus sales and leasing. We will bring a local presence and provide a total package of transportation solutions” stated Macy Neshati, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Complete Coach Works.
“Operating as Complete Coach Works and bringing our corporate commitment to Quality and Customer Satisfaction we will work on a daily basis to bring our customers innovative products and services to enhance their ability to provide world class transportation services to their riders and end users” Neshati continued.
We are continuing to operate while completing a brief but thorough facility face lift prior to hosting a grand opening Customer Appreciation day on Friday April 5th featuring a barbecue luncheon, facility tours and lots of valuable raffle prizes.
Complete Coach Works is the largest U.S. bus remanufacturing retrofit company with 27 years of dedicated service to the transportation industry. Located on a fifteen acre facility in Riverside CA as well as our new Alameda CA facility, featuring state of the art equipment and employing 300 technicians and staff, Complete Coach Works performs emission retrofits, CNG conversions, bus remanufacturing, wheelchair lift installations and accident and fire damage repair. Complete Coach Works has developed the first long range all electric battery powered transit bus, branded the ZEPS bus for its Zero Emission Propulsion System the bus features a range of up to 150 miles on a single charge.
Richland WA: With the help of a CALSTART* grant that was directed to Washington state by US Senator Patty Murray, Ben Franklin Transit is working with Southern California-based Complete Coach Works (CCW) to develop an all-electric remanufactured transit bus that has the capability of going over 100 miles.
While an electric bus is innovative in itself, CCW is taking it one step further by significantly reducing the carbon footprint involved with building a transit bus by remanufacturing an existing bus into like-new condition, reducing capital expenditures in the process. Not only are carbon emissions reduced through this approach, but landfill pollution is reduced as well. When Ben Franklin Transit heard about this environmentally sustainable approach and what CCW was doing, the agency became part of a demonstration program and committed one of its buses.
“This is great news for Tri-Cities residents and businesses,” said Senator Murray. “As Chair of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, I was proud to help direct this funding to Washington state, and pleased that the bus will be operating soon in the Tri-Cities. I applaud the entire Ben Franklin Transit team for their work and I look forward to seeing the bus on Tri-City streets in the new year.”
Tim Fredrickson, General Manager of Ben Franklin Transit is excited that the Tri-Cities agency was selected for the demonstration project. “At Ben Franklin Transit we are very happy to be a part of this project. We have been involved in another alternative energy demonstration and we have never been shy about experimenting with applications that make sense for the industry. However, this demonstration project may prove to be the future of electric public transportation for the next generations. We have long thought that the “holy grail” of transportation is a non-polluting, heavy duty, long range battery and electric motor combination. At BFT our Board of Directors and staff are 100% committed to this project and are excited to be a part of our industry’s future. We especially wish to express our appreciation to Complete Coach Works for that insight and development of this proposal, to CalStart for their understanding of the needs of our industry, and to Senator Murray for her vision of a new transportation future.”
Mike Kluse, Director, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory stated “PNNL has done extensive research on how electric vehicles can be widely adopted with minimal impact on the US electric grid, so we are thrilled to see more EVs in our community. PNNL is eager to participate in BFT’s electric bus project.
“Remanufacturing is a perfect solution to the industry’s current problems,” believes Macy Neshati, VP of Sales and Marketing at CCW. “It reduces waste at land-fills, transforms buses into like-new condition and is nearly half the cost of a new bus.”
Neshati thinks that the topic of zero emission technology in general will only be successful if it is made viable and competitive. “Our research started with a defined goal to develop a remanufactured all-electric transit bus, one which agencies can afford and operate without limitations of adjusting their routes, or installing expensive charging stations,” he said. “Our Zero Emission Propulsion System, dubbed “ZEPS” for short, is the world’s first and only remanufactured all-electric transit bus.”
“For the past three years a team of Tri-City individuals have been working with the Mid-Columbia Energy Initiative (MCEI) to transform this community into The Energy Hub of the State of Washington,” said Gary Petersen, TRIDEC/MCEI. “This new all-electric bus for Ben Franklin Transit will provide a statement to the rest of Washington state, that the Tri-Cities is very solidly working in the ‘electric vehicle’ arena!”
“This innovative effort helps continue to position the Tri-Cities as a regional and national leader in clean energy technology research and development,” said U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Energy. “The electrification of transportation has the potential to save money on operating costs, while also reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil. I congratulate Ben Franklin Transit for its leadership on incorporating cutting-edge energy technology into community transit operations.”
Ben Franklin Transit’s bus, when completed, will have all electrical components, auxiliary wiring, seats, air conditioning systems and flooring replaced with high quality new parts. The all-electric drive system, motor, controller and advanced Li-ion battery packs will be installed, as will a new, energy efficient air conditioning system. The remanufacturing process is so detailed and complete that the bus will be issued a new title and current year registration. Because CCW made a point to source as many USA parts and components as possible, the bus is “Buy America” compliant.
Ben Franklin Transit, in collaboration with CCW, evaluated the bus route that will benefit the most from the deployment of the electric transit bus. Ben Franklin Transit Route 23/26 is currently a good fit for this all-electric transit bus. Because of frequent stops within a total
8-mile loop and low average speed, the route provides ideal conditions for the regenerative braking-enabled ZEPS bus.
Since any low-floor bus can be converted to all-electric, this approach provides a flexible platform for remanufactured zero emission buses. This innovative solution, is one to watch – or perhaps, like Ben Franklin Transit, one to explore first-hand.
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*CALSTART is a non-profit organization that acts as a catalyst for the growth of the national clean transportation technology industry. CALSTART has nearly 150 member companies and organizations representing a wide variety of clean and low carbon fuels, technologies, and vehicles. For further information visit www.calstart.org
Complete Coach Works is proud to announce an award from SunLine Transit Agency to convert the interiors of traditional transit buses to over the road commuter buses. A total of four 2008 model year New Flyer C40LF CNG powered low floor buses will go through this conversion process in the next few weeks. The project will feature stripping and replacing the exterior graphics to reflect SunLine’s Commuter Link Paint Scheme. The seats will be replaced with high back reclining seats, and overhead parcel racks will be installed.
The finished buses will launch SunLine’s new Commuter Link 220 service from the Coachella Valley to the City of Riverside. SunLine Transit Agency is a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) created in 1977 to provide transportation to its member entities, Riverside County and the cities within Coachella Valley, covering an area of over 1,120 square miles.