Photo / Supplied
The amount of range an EV has is heavily reliant on the size of its battery.
The idea is, big is better. Well, most of the time anyway.
The latest Proterra ZX5 electric bus certainly take this approach, with its enormous 738 kWh battery which is estimated to produce a range of around 578km.
While the official stats haven’t been released yet, the previous 2022 model ZX5 Max had a 675 kWh battery which allowed a range of 530km. Assuming the new bus will operate at a similar efficiency level to the outgoing model, it should be able to achieve the estimated 578km of range.
Proterra simply states the vehicle will have a range of over 300 miles (483km) on a single charge depending on route and configuration.
The 12-metre long bus is intended for transit duties and will have the largest battery in its segment in the North American market.
To put this into perspective, your average electric SUV (say, like the Tesla Model X or Kia EV6) have batteries that range in size from around 70 to 100 kWh. Possibly the largest electric SUV battery in the NZ market belongs to the BMW iX which boasts an impressive 112kWh battery and does 630km in range.
Of course, the bus is much larger than an SUV and therefore needs a much larger battery to achieve a similar range. The bus itself is 15,127kg but loaded up with its max capacity of 40 passengers, it would weigh around 19,799kg. In comparison, the BMW iX weighs 2,585kg, which is very heavy even for a large SUV.
Charging the bus is an impressive affair too. With a 450 kW charger (which is only available at bus depots, and not for public use), the bus can go from empty to full in just 3.4 hours.
Keyword: This electric bus has an enormous 738 kWh battery