Environmental Performance Vehicles (EPV), previously DesignLine Corporation, is a manufacturer of coach, electric and range-extended electric (hybrid) buses. It was founded in

Ashburton, New Zealand Ashburton ( mi, Hakatere) is a large town in the Canterbury Region, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The town is the seat of the Ashburton District. It is south west of Christchurch and is sometimes regarded as a satell ...

in 1985. Initially it was a manufacturer of tour coaches. In the 1990s it diversified into conventional transit buses and then added hybrid city buses in the late 1990s. It was acquired by American interests in 2006, and DesignLine Corporation's headquarters was relocated to

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

. Following a bankruptcy in 2013, the assets of DesignLine were sold and the company was renamed. EPV is no longer affiliated with the DesignLine operations in New Zealand, which was placed in liquidation in 2011 and then sold to a Malaysian-controlled joint business venture who operate it under the name DesignLine Bus Pacific, which was renamed Global Bus Ventures (NZ) on 30 May 2016.

Bankruptcy

As DesignLine, it filed for protection under chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Court in Delaware on August 15, 2013. The case was subsequently transferred to North Carolina. They employed over 250 people in the city of Charlotte. Katie Goodman, Managing Partner of GGG Partners, LLC was retained as Chief Restructuring Officer of the corporation just prior to the filing. On October 28, 2013, Wonderland Investment Group Inc. acquired most of the assets of DesignLine in an auction. Several key issues of the bankruptcy - including a class action suit for wrongful termination by DesignLine employees and the potential termination of a contract with the Denver Regional Transportation District - are set to be decided on January 14, 2014. Wonderland renamed the company EPV in January 2014.

EcoSaver hybrid bus

One of the vehicles within EPV's fleet is the EcoSaver, a range-extended electric hybrid bus. The EcoSaver is plug-in sodium battery powered backed up by an on-board diesel or compressed natural gas (CNG) turbine engine. The bus is 100% emissions free. Unlike other hybrid buses, the on-board engine does not run vehicle systems as the battery depletes. Rather the turbine produces electricity that recharges the batteries. The turbines are supplied by

Capstone Turbine Capstone Green Energy, formerly Capstone Turbine Corporation, was incorporated in 1988 as a California based gas turbine manufacturer that specializes in microturbine power along with heating and cooling cogeneration systems. Key to the Capstone ...

of Chatsworth, California. This vehicle was first used from December 1998 in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

, New Zealand, branded as The Shuttle. The bus was originally designed as a response to the international tender for ecological buses to be used in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This first-of-its-kind technology has been deployed in a number of fleets as the process has been tested and improved. Recent testing at the Bus Testing and Research Center at Penn State University show a substantial improvement in fuel economy over traditional buses. The EcoSaver will also be included as part of a national research effort coordinated by th
National Renewable Energy Lab
(NREL) to yield performance data on clean fuel vehicles. The bus plugs in to recharge, and captures energy from regenerative braking technology. The bus does not need proprietary charging infrastructure. Simple industrial grade electrical access is all that is required. The buses can travel more than 100 miles between charges. Numerous demonstration fleets of EcoSaver vehicles have been deployed worldwide since 1998. The DesignLine electric drive system has undergone several major development cycles, with the fourth generation North American system now in production. The EcoSmart is in service internationally in Australia and Abu Dhabi UAE. The Société de Transport de Laval in Quebec, Canada is currently testing the EcoSmart for use in its fleet.

Electric vehicle

DesignLine's EcoSmart is an all-electric bus powered by sodium batteries, and based on the established EcoSaver drive train system.

Coach vehicle

DesignLine's EcoCoach is a high floor, single door bus powered by either compressed natural gas (CNG) or diesel fuel. The bus is built on a lightweight frame that lowers overall vehicle weight and improves fuel economy. The bus is designed for long routes with infrequent stops, such as intercity routes, or limited access transit routes (i.e. Park and Ride). DesignLine had a contract with New Jersey Transit to supply the agency with 76 EcoCoach buses by May 2013. The EcoCoach is also the first 45-foot CNG coach to complete testing at the Altoona Bus Testing and Research Center.

Products

DesignLine markets the following buses:

Usage

Currently, Designline/EPV buses are used in revenue service in five countries worldwide.

United States

Current operators * New Jersey Transit on the 63, 64, 67, and 68 lines between Toms River, Lakewood, Freehold, Old Bridge, and Newark/Jersey City/Hoboken. Current fleet is retired due to Designline bankruptcy. * RTD,

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, CO - RTD currently operates two EcoSaver IV vehicles modified for the

16th Street Mall The 16th Street Mall is a pedestrian and transit mall in Denver, Colorado. The mall, 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) long, runs along 16th Street in downtown Denver, from Wewatta Street (at Union Station) to the intersection of 16th Avenue and Broad ...

shuttle. An order for additional buses was cancelled due to the bankruptcy of DesignLine.

Canada

Société de transport de Laval Société de transport de Laval (STL) is the public transit system in the city of Laval, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in June 1971 as the ''Commission de transport de la Ville de Laval (CTL)''. STL came about in 1984. It serves the growing sub ...

(1 unit)

New Zealand

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

NZ Bus NZ Bus is New Zealand's largest bus company, operating in Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington. Formerly a subsidiary of Stagecoach Group and later Infratil and Next Capital, it is now owned by Kinetic Group. History In October 1992 Stagecoach p ...

***North Star ***GO WEST ***Metrolink ***Waka Pacific ** Birkenhead Transport ** Ritchies ** Howick and Eastern ** SkyBus ** Pavlovich Coachlines ** Go Bus Transport *

Leopard Coachlines Leopard Coachlines is a tour bus service operator based in Christchurch, New Zealand, with a depot in Auckland. It operates tourist coach trips, charter services to Mount Hutt ski field, and tours for schools and groups. Urban buses From 1993 unt ...

** Red Bus Ltd **

Go Bus Christchurch Go Bus Christchurch Ltd. is a bus company owned by Go Bus Transport Ltd. The company started off as Christchurch Bus Services Ltd in 2004. In November 2010, it was sold to Go Bus Ltd after it was found that Christchurch Bus Services had failed ...

* Tauranga ** Go Bus Transport *

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

Ritchies Transport __NOTOC__ Ritchies Transport is a New Zealand private bus operator, owned by KKR. It was established in 1972 and describes itself as "the largest privately owned bus and coach transport operator in New Zealand" with a fleet of over 1500 vehicles sp ...

** Passenger Transport Citibus *

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

and Napier *

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

GO Wellington GO Wellington was the brand name of Wellington City Transport Ltd, the Wellington subsidiary of NZ Bus, in New Zealand. The company was branded ''Stagecoach Wellington'' by its previous owner, the Stagecoach Group. The current name and a new live ...

Valley Flyer The ''Valley Flyer'' was a short-lived named passenger train of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The all-heavyweight, "semi-streamlined" train ran between Bakersfield and Oakland, California (through California's San Joaquin Vall ...

Australia

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

* Mackay, Qld *

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

Other countries

*Tokyo, Japan *

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, United Kingdom **

Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are dra ...

- one Olymbus diesel-electric bus was evaluated in 2004, this bus became one of ten Olymbus buses for QuayLink bus service in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Millennium Bridge, The Sage, and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary ...

and they were operated from 22 July 2005 until being replaced by Optare Versa from 10 August 2010. This was due to difficulty coping with hills on the route.

References

External links

*
ECOSaver IV
— ''

Hybrid electric bus A hybrid electric bus is a bus that combines a conventional internal combustion engine propulsion system with an electric propulsion system. These type of buses normally use a Diesel-electric powertrain and are also known as hybrid Diesel-el ...

''. {{North American bus builders Bus manufacturers of the United States Bus manufacturers of New Zealand Electric vehicle manufacturers of the United States Electric bus manufacturers Hybrid electric bus manufacturers Trolleybus manufacturers Companies based in Charlotte, North Carolina Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1985 New Zealand companies established in 1985 2013 disestablishments in New Zealand Ashburton, New Zealand Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 2014 2014 establishments in North Carolina