User:Hullian111/sandbox/Equipmake
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| Industry | Manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Ian Foley |
| Headquarters | , Norfolk, England |
| Products | Electric motors |
Number of employees | 60 |
| Website | equipmake |
Equipmake is a British manufacturer of electric motors for cars and buses based in Snetterton, Norfolk, England.
History[edit]
Equipmake was founded in 1997 by Ian Foley, who had worked in motorsports engineering with 24 Hours of Le Mans and Formula One teams Lotus Engineering, Benetton Formula and Lotus F1. The company was founded when Foley developed a paddle shift gearbox purpose-built for endurance racing, and by the 2000s, Equipmake was involved in researching electric motors and flywheels prior to Formula 1's move to hybrid powertrains in the 2014 season.[1][2]
Equipmake engineered a hybrid flywheel with Williams Racing in 2009, which saw success in both F1 and Le Mans endurance racing under Williams Hybrid Power.[3] The flywheel also found applications for hybrid buses and commercial vehicles. Foley left Williams in 2014 to concentrate on Equipmake, with the company developing a new series of electric motors shortly afterwards.[1]
Products[edit]
Electric bus conversions[edit]
Equipmake entered into a contract with North Yorkshire bus operator First York to repower its fleet of 12 Optare Versa single-deck battery electric buses, which were built between 2014 and 2015. The repowers, which will give the buses a 150 miles (240 km) range, commenced in 2022, with the first Versa re-entering service with First York in March 2023.[4][5]
A hybrid-electric New Routemaster was repowered with Equipmake's Zero Emission Drive, with a 400kWh battery giving the bus a 150 miles (240 km) range. The bus re-entered service at Metroline's Holloway garage in November 2022 on a six-month evaluation period.[6][7]
In March 2023, Equipmake announced it had entered into a partnership with coach operator Westway Coaches to repower some of its existing diesel coach fleet. A Zero Emission Drive was first installed in a Westway Van Hool T917, allowing for a range of 220 miles (350 km) using a 545kWh battery.[8][9]
Integral electric buses[edit]
Equipmake has also developed its own integral range of electric buses. A double-decker bus named the Equipmake Jewel E, bodied by Spanish body manufacturer Beulas on a Brazilian-Argentine Agrale chassis and built to Transport for London specification, was unveiled by Equipmake in 2021, powered by three optioned modular battery packs capable of a 543kWh charge capacity that give the bus a 300 miles (480 km) maximum range. The Jewel E was due to enter demonstration service with Go-Ahead London in early 2022.[10][11]
Equipmake and Agrale would later develop the Agrale MT17.0 LEe, a 12 m (39 ft) low-cost battery electric single-deck bus built with a battery range of 150 mi (240 km) and capable of carrying 70 passengers, for the South American market. After road trials and durability tests in the United Kingdom in 2021, the bus was shipped to Argentina in July 2022 and entered service in Buenos Aires on trial with Doscientos Ocho Transporte Automotor S. A. in October 2022.[12][13]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Founder Profile". Equipmake. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ "From F1 to electric cars: meet Ian Foley, founder of Equipmake". Sunday Times Driving. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ "Williams F1 KERS explained". Racecar Engineering. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ "Equipmake to repower 12 First York Optare Versa EVs". routeone. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ "First York puts Equipmake electric repower into service". routeone. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ "New Routemaster battery-electric repower makes debut". routeone. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ "Equipmake repowers New Routemaster". Transport Engineer. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ "Equipmake expands repower offering to coach sector with Westway deal". Coach & Bus Week. Peterborough: Emap. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ Peat, Chris (10 May 2023). "Equipmake showcasing Westway's repowered Van Hool at ITT Hub". Bus & Coach Buyer. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ "Ian Foley: The man behind the electric double-decker bus". EV Powered. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ Deakin, Tim (11 November 2021). "Go-Ahead London to trial battery-electric Equipmake Jewel E". routeone. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "Agrale and Equipmake launch new bus in Buenos Aires". Coach & Bus Week. Peterborough: Emap. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Peat, Chris (13 July 2022). "Equipmake bus leaves for Argentina". Bus & Coach Buyer. Retrieved 6 April 2023.