- Adoption of MICHELIN X InCity EV Z tyres across London electric fleet results in fewer failures and more trouble-free journeys.
- Big Bus Tours is now rolling out the X InCity EV Z across the remainder of its Euro-6 diesel-powered buses in the capital.
Big Bus Tours, the largest open-top bus sightseeing company in the world, has reduced downtime and boosted the performance of its newly converted London electric bus fleet thanks to Michelin’s expertise, and the adoption of its premium low-resistance urban tyres.
Jon Reed, Head of Engineering – Europe, at Big Bus Tours, says: “Michelin said to us that from a cost, as well as a duty cycle, perspective ‘the MICHELIN InCity EV Z is the best tyre for you’. And it has been.”
Big Bus Tours converted 20 Ankai specialist double-decker buses from Euro-5 to electric via drivetrain specialist Equipmake to meet London’s vehicle emission requirements and extend their service life.
While the conversion of the tri-axle buses progressed successfully with the final units completed this Easter, the change in weight distribution (and an overall gain of 800kg per bus) due to the newly installed batteries raised questions about tyre loading, especially on the steer axle.
Service provider Tructyre suggested bringing Michelin’s experts in. Carl Williams, Manager of Customer Engineering Support at the manufacturer responded, and, with support from Territory Business Manager Ian Roberts, undertook a weighing exercise. This took into account the number of passengers and axle load to establish the optimum tyre pressures.
The resulting report proved the engineering concept. However, it also revealed that the operator’s previous brand of tyres was no longer suitable to meet the new demands, especially on the buses’ rear-steer axles. Big Bus Tours decided to upgrade to MICHELIN X InCity EV Z tyres, which proved just the ticket, fitting them to all eight of the wheels on each Ankai bus via its inhouse workshop.
“They are performing well, and we’ve had zero complaints of road noise. We seem to be getting less sidewall damage too. While we are paying more for them initially than our previous brand of tyres, the cost is worth it. We’re getting much longer life out of them,” says Reed.
The company has been so impressed with the performance of the tyres that most of its 56-strong London tour bus fleet now wear them, typically sized 275/70 R22.5 aside from six Volvo buses, which run on 305/70 R22.5s.
The MICHELIN X InCity EV Z incorporates several technologies to deliver the best in urban and suburban passenger transportation. The benefits include increased resistance to sidewall kerb damage and tyre splitting; 3PMSF and M+S ratings combined with Michelin’s Regenion technology ensure grip in all conditions; and low rolling resistance delivers optimised costs per KM.
Operating in more than 25 cities across four continents, Big Bus Tours has hundreds of buses and guides providing open-top hop-on-and-off sightseeing tours.
About Michelin
Michelin is building a world-leading manufacturer of life-changing composites and experiences. Pioneering engineered materials for more than 130 years, Michelin is uniquely positioned to make decisive contributions to human progress and to a more sustainable world.
Drawing on its deep know-how in polymer composites, Michelin is constantly innovating to manufacture high-quality tyres and components for critical applications in demanding fields as varied as mobility, construction, aeronautics, low-carbon energies, and healthcare.
The care placed in its products and deep customer knowledge inspire Michelin to offer the finest experiences. This spans from providing data- and AI-based connected solutions for professional fleets to recommending outstanding restaurants and hotels curated by the MICHELIN Guide.
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