Partnership to rollout zero-emission electric shuttle buses

Forest River Inc., Creative Bus Sales, and Phoenix Motorcars formed an alliance to jointly develop, build, and distribute electric zero-emission buses.

As part of the agreement, Phoenix Motorcars will be the supplier of electric drivetrains for all zero-emission shuttle and school buses built by Forest River on the Ford E450 chassis with the Starcraft Bus body.

Creative Bus Sales, the largest dealer for buses in the U.S., will exclusively sell and service the new range of electric shuttle and school buses across their U.S. locations. Phoenix Motorcars will train and certify technicians across Creative locations to perform warranty repairs and service.

The shuttle and school buses will be powered by Phoenix's latest electric drivetrain technology, offering up to 130 miles range on a single charge. The vehicles offer dual charging capability, compatible to both the Level III 50KW CHAdeMO charger and a J1772 Level II charger.

The versatility of the cutaway chassis will be retained with multiple seating configurations offered. The zero emission buses will also be equipped with state of the art telematics solutions, offering real time operating info for fleet owners and remote diagnostics for service.

Phoenix Motorcars powered Starcraft electric buses will reach customers starting Q2 2019. A large number of buses are scheduled for delivery, including 29 for the U.S. EPA funded South Coast Air Quality Management District project to electrify shuttles across key airports in Southern California.