- Bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis has launched AD Repower, a service to convert the powertrain of its customers existing fleets from diesel to fully-electric.
- Alexander Dennis has partnered with KleanDrive, experts in electric bus conversions, to provide the necessary engineering expertise and hardware.
- The first bus to be eligible for the AD Repower service will be its Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double decker, currently one of the most popular double-decker models within Britain’s public transportation fleet.
Alexander Dennis looks to electrify existing customer models
Under the new scheme, partner KleanDrive will replace the existing diesel engine and related drive components with its own plug-and-play electric drivetrain. This uses a Voith Electrical Drive System, the same system used in Alexander Dennis’ brand new electric buses, allowing fleets accessing this service to have a homogenised experience across both new electric buses and reconverted buses.
The AD Repower scheme will initially only be available in the UK, specifically on the Enviro400 double decker, with a pilot bus set to hit the road in the first half of 2026. Alexander Dennis notes that additional models and markets could follow in the future, dependent on ‘sufficient demand’. There’s yet to be any details on how much the Repower service will cost operators, but it’s still certain to be cheaper than the outlay of purchasing an all-new electric bus.
KleanDrive is set to play a significant part in electrifying bus fleets, allowing operators to go electric at a lower cost than buying all-new vehicles. Back in 2024, transport operator FirstGroup made a £1 million investment into the firm.
Chris Gall, Group Engineering Director at Alexander Dennis, commented:
“We look forward to delivering the benefits of AD Repower in partnership with KleanDrive. Their drivetrain engineering is in keeping with our reputation for quality and we have been impressed with how well thought out the design is for easy installation and maintenance.
We believe that offering new electric buses as well as repowering vehicles already on the road is the quickest route to decarbonisation of our customer’s fleets, whilst delivering cleaner, quieter and smoother journeys for passengers.
The diesel-powered Enviro400 has for many years been Britain’s most popular double deck bus, and we are delighted to offer this repowering solution to extend the life of these vehicles. AD Repower in partnership with KleanDrive is fully backed by Alexander Dennis and supported through our AD24 service, giving our customers peace of mind.”
KleanDrive CEO, Joe Tighe, added:
“This is a great solution for operators and the environment. Alexander Dennis buses are renowned for the quality of the body and chassis and by repowering them with an EV drivetrain, we can maximise the lifespan of vehicle, whilst eliminating noxious emissions and slashing running costs and CO2 emissions. By repowering rather than prematurely replacing, we avoid throwing away a perfectly good vehicle and the carbon dioxide that is embedded within that.
Our solution is a plug and play, modular drivetrain that replaces the existing engine and transmission and interfaces perfectly with the bus controls and instrumentation. It is designed to carry out the conversion at the fleet operator’s premises, which reduces time off the road and empowers the local technicians to carry out maintenance.”
