Forest River, one of the leading shuttle bus manufacturers in the U.S., has recently formed a new alliance with Phoenix Motorcars and Creative Bus Sales in an attempt to rollout various electric school buses and shuttles throughout the country.
Thanks to their newfound alliance, Phoenix Motorcars, an industry leader in the development of light and medium duty electric vehicles for the service and government fleet markets, will supply the electric drivetrains for all of the electric school buses and shuttles built by Forest River. Starcraft Bus, a division of Forest River highly regarded as the largest shuttle bus builder and fastest growing school bus manufacturer in North America, will utilize their Starcraft Bus body along with the chassis of various Ford E-450 models to produce the buses.
David Wright, President of Forest River Bus, commented on the recent alliance, stating:
“Forest River is the leading shuttle bus manufacturer in the country and this partnership with Phoenix Motorcars enables us to maintain that edge. Matched with industry leading EV solutions from Phoenix Motorcars and the unparalleled network of Creative Bus Sales, switching to electric will be an easy & seamless process for customers.”
Emad Fakhoury, CEO of Phoenix Motorcars, added:
“The synergy between Forest River, Creative Bus Sales and Phoenix Motor Cars will bring the best electric powered transportation solutions to customers across the United States.
“Phoenix is continuing to invest in developing cutting edge electric drivetrain technologies and with such great alliance will accelerate the advancement of zero emission transportation.”
Creative Bus Sales, the largest dealer for buses in the U.S., will exclusively sell and service the new range of electric school buses and shuttles across the nation per the alliance agreement. According to Phoenix Motorcars, they will be responsible for the training and certification of technicians across all Creative Bus Sales locations for the purpose of performing warranty repairs and various other services.
Tony Matijevich, President of Creative Bus Sales on the partnership, stated:
“Together with Forest River and Phoenix Motorcars, we bring the most competent electric buses to our customers. Phoenix Motorcars is the industry leader in the Class 4 electric shuttle bus segment, we are excited to be working together and bringing best in class products supported by our superior sales & service network.”
According to their recent press release, electric school buses and shuttles powered by Phoenix Motorcars’ electric drivetrain technology will be able to offer up to 130 miles of range on a single charge and will feature dual charging capability, compatible to both the Level III 50KW CHAdeMO charger and a J1772 Level II charger.
Phoenix Motorcars powered Starcraft electric school buses and shuttles are expected to reach customers starting Q2 2019, with 29 electric shuttles already scheduled for delivery across key airports in Southern California.
