Irizar i2e

Go-Ahead introduce another two new electric buses to Waterloo (RA) for their former Red Arrow routes 507 and 521.

Spanish manufacturer Irizar are a renowned coach manufacturer, ranking second-best in Europe. Their success in the coach industry is distinctive in the design of their new i2e, unveiled into service by the Go-Ahead Group to continue developing London's growing electric bus network. The buses, EI1-2, are the second electric bus type to be introduced by London's biggest operator, the BYD eBus our inaugural electric bus which competes alongside the i2e on their high-frequency central London single-decker routes.

The Irizar i2e can seat 24 passengers, one less than the BYD eBus. However, the i2e has two wheelchair areas to compensate and has a more welcoming seating experience than the eBus which gave the impression that it was welcoming you to stand if you were not the first few passengers to get on the bus. .

Opting for a Siemens powertrain, Irizar uses a 376kWh So-Nick (sodium nickel) battery as opposed to BYD, who use their own powertrain with the effective iron-phosphate battery pack which reduces brake wear by recycling energy from the brakes to charge the battery. Both buses require 5 hours to fully charge their batteries before they enter service again and while BYD guarantees their eBus can do 250km before needing a recharge, Irizar only offer a range of 200-250km with their i2e.

The stats do not promise an impressive step forward from the eBus, although the i2e was still an exciting prospect as EI1 (YP15 NLM) entered service on 13 July 2015. Almost a month later, EI2 (YP15 NLN) followed, but at least getting some running time on both routes 507 and 521 on its first day in service on 11 August 2015. As always, I went out to check out the new buses with the aim of analysing their performance against the fairly impressive eBus.

Route 521 starts from Tenison Way at Waterloo Station
before embarking towards London Bridge Station beside The Shard.

On first glance, the stunningly stylish coach design attitudinised an attractive presence. Many new buses introduced recently have either been common mainstream purchases or a development to the series of a bus type where we are already familiar with the main features of the design. There is no doubt we have seen some new designs, but the Irizar i2e is something completely new to the bus scene as the simplicity of converting Irizar's i3 coach style into a London bus has brought a triumphant new style into our single-decker bus fleet. The product they have made is sensational and is surely London's best-looking single-decker bus in a while.

Boarding the bus, I sensed the interior felt quite small to the big Mercedes buses that complement most of the peak vehicle requirement (PVR) for routes 507 and 521. The buses, fleet-coded MECs, have the largest passenger capacity out of its electric competitors with the ability to carry 98 passengers. For a hefty appearance, Irizar have actually made a small bus. The BYD eBus can carry 87 passengers as opposed to the elegant i2e which can only accomplish a load of 73 passengers, the least ideal for the peak hour services.

Despite this disadvantage, the driveline is the smoothest yet. The lean created by acceleration does not lunge you forward, preserving the comfort of the seating experience even with an aggressive driving style. This is fantastic considering the bus is amazingly fast off the mark! Feedback from the road is so smooth that the drive enthuses blissfully gliding sensations as the bodywork bounces over the wheel arches on top of the tyres.

The low tones of the electric motors are supplement to the tranquility of the bus. The only noise apparent is the recharging of the electric motors when the bus is on stand, otherwise I was very impressed by the quietness of the i2e.

Seeking at least one more disadvantage from the bus only achieved the mere suggestion that braking can be annoying for standees, especially abrupt application of the brakes. Comfortably seated, with legroom adequate to prevent strain from a cramped positioning (if I must add), I noticed the less comfortable full standing capacity of passengers bump against each other lightly whenever the bus stopped, but even this was not too bad to the point passengers started expressing their frustration.

That was EI1 on route 521. I found EI2 on the route to have more rattle with a slightly louder transit noise from the motors. Nevertheless, the bus was still quiet, keeping a calm atmosphere even with the bus at full capacity. The only interruptions came from the iBus. The more the requests were repeated, the more agitated the recorded voice of Emma Hignett sounded: 'Please move down inside the b-bus,' stuttered the announcement, impatience brewing. Obviously, this was an electronic error that could be easily dismissed and not the aforementioned albeit effective explanation!

This journey was faster than the first on EI1. The buses are more fun for a fast journey but given a slow journey the Irizar i2e can invite opportunity for a relaxing cruise instead of a boring and limited drive. I enjoyed Kingsway the most, where the acceleration, speed and smooth driveline is at its best as the route exits Holborn to navigate around Aldywch towards Waterloo Bridge.

Excluding the feedback from the road, which was generally absorbed well by the suspension, the driveline is exceptional and is Irizar's answer to the Optare MetroCity EV, a bus I have acclaimed to be London's leading single-decker bus.

Route 507 starts from Upper Taxi Road at Waterloo Station
before embarking on a 15-minute trip to Terminus Place for Victoria Station.

Route 507 got off to a fun start, with a grumpy-looking man expressing his discovery of the new bus by questioning the driver's purchase of it! 'Where'd you get this one from?' Online, great deal, just jams in my garage to charge overnight. 

I realised, aboard EI1 on the 507, everything feels less prolonged. The feedback energy through the bodywork is momentary, the bus as rattle-proof as you could possibly want from a bus with a heavy design like the i2e.

The door alarm is less annoying than the BYD eBus: two simple beeps for opening, with a few more but nevertheless relatively quiet tones for closing. The actual doors do not clatter against each other when colliding as they close, either, the i2e showing off its ability to withstand any small impact - which would reverberate through the suspension and off the bodywork of most other bus types - without making any noise about doing so. 

Completing route 507 end-to-end twice within 45 minutes, its equally short review with the i2e brings us to the end of the article.

The future of routes 507 and 521.

The Irizar i2e may not have outstanding statistics to back up its scintillating performances in service, but the Spanish electric bus definitely wins over the BYD eBus in comfort, driveline and speed. The rigid Citaro buses that currently dominate the former Red Arrow base are extremely comfortable buses, but as diesel is gradually becoming surplus to London's gradually growing green bus network, they are no match for the latest from BYD and Irizar.

As much as I love the Irizar i2e, both in design and performance, the picture above previews the future of routes 507 and 521. Go-Ahead have retained routes 507 and 521 from Waterloo (RA), ordering 51 brand new electric buses to be manufactured by Alexander Dennis and BYD in a £19 million partnership deal which will introduce the new Enviro200 MMC to a BYD chassis from 27 August 2016. A promising project, but is this the right move for the Go-Ahead Group?

© All rights reserved, London Bus Breh 2015.

See our About Us page for photo use enquiries.