Pegasus Specialty Vehicles penned an agreement with Creative Bus Sales. Pegasus will be building Type A school buses and electric shuttle and paratransit buses using the Zeus Electric Chassis Power Platform to deliver what it says will be categorically different from the gas or diesel conversions that dominate the market today. The ground-up design of the Zeus Z-19 cab-chassis is purpose-built and optimized for bus body installation and system integration.
The deal with Creative Bus Sales enables all three companies to capture sales and win a portion of the abundant federal and state grant money incentivizing rapid electric-bus adoption.
With all-wheel-drive, independent suspension, and a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of up to 19,500 pounds, a Pegasus Bus on a Zeus Z-19 Power Platform is different from other vehicles in the Type A school bus, shuttle, and paratransit bus categories. Its electric motors generate a continuous rated 290 horsepower and 2,040 foot-pounds of torque, enabling it to operate in inclement weather, on challenging topographies, and allowing it to transport a payload of up to 8,000 pounds within a standard range of 150 miles.
The Zeus chassis offers a purpose-built platform for the Pegasus bus body. In addition to incorporating an all-electric drive train, the modular battery concept inherent in the Zeus design offers the flexibility needed to fully integrate powering climate systems and power-entry lifts with the chassis systems. The sturdier build of the Zeus frame rail system, and the resulting market-leading payload, will accommodate larger-sized buses on the same platform.
The agreement with Creative Bus Sales provides a national dealership base for Pegasus and allows the company to leverage its extensive service network and long-established expertise in the bus market. Creative Bus Sales is an HVIP-registered dealer for customers in California. Zeus Electric Chassis has been awarded an Executive Order from the California Air Resources Board for its model year 2022 Z-19 and Z-22 all-electric work trucks.
