Jul 29, 2016 | News & Press
For Immediate Release
July 29, 2016
RIVERSIDE, CA – Complete Coach Works (CCW) is excited to announce the appointment of James (Jim) F. Paul as Northwest Regional Sales Manager, Michael (Mike) Klein as Southwest Regional Sales Manager and Aaron Timlick as General Manager for the Alameda, CA facility.
Jim held previous senior management positions and brings more than 25 years of leadership and automotive expertise to his role.
Jim comments, “I am proud to be part of the growing CCW family and excited about the new opportunities. I look forward to visiting Northwest transit agencies and offering them affordable fleet equipment options that they may not be aware were available to them.”
Mike has taken on several roles in the transit industry. In 15 plus years he has held a vast array of titles, allowing him to grow professionally within the industry.
Mike shares, “As a previous CCW client I experienced the quality of work and professionalism they offer. I am excited to be part of this team. My position allows me to help with honest solutions and guidance to the folks sitting where I once sat. Also, I get to travel and meet great people. I have found there are many organizations that are unaware of the options CCW can provide, such as quality, time and cost savings.”
With 5 years as a Production Supervisor at CCW under his belt and over 10 years in the transit industry, Aaron will surely be very successful in his new role as General Manager in CCW’s Alameda facility.
“I have had a great time working at CCW’s Riverside facility in the past 5 years. I look forward to working with a new and great team in the Alameda facility,” said Aaron. “I am thankful to CCW for the opportunities they have provided me with and will be taking on this new role with the upmost dedication and enthusiasm.”
Vice President of Sales and Marketing Richard Sullivan shares, “We are very excited to welcome Jim, Mike and Aaron to our team and their new roles. Their commitment to the company and its customers will be a strong asset to Complete Coach Works. I look forward to supporting and assisting them in the growth of business with our current and future customers.”
Complete Coach Works is the largest U.S. bus remanufacturing and rehabilitation company and the leading provider of a vast array of transportation solutions with over 28 years of dedicated service in the transportation industry. Regardless of how small or large the job, CCW provides an exceptionally experienced team of over 350 experts, committed to customer service and satisfaction. Our employees are critical to our success and to the richness of our services, ideas, and innovations. Recruiting top talent is one of the key elements to Complete Coach Works’ success and our employees reflect our core values. Our core values include integrity, accountability, imagination and teamwork.
Mar 16, 2016 | News & Press
For Immediate Release
March 16, 2016
RIVERSIDE, CA – Complete Coach Works (CCW) is pleased to announce that it has delivered the final bus for a project to replace CNG engines on seven buses for Yolo County Transportation District, which serves Yolo County, downtown Sacramento and Sacramento International Airport.
“The project will extend the service life of the buses and further reduce engine emissions,” said Kevin O’Brien, General Sales Manager for CCW.
“Work began in September and the final bus was completed in March,” O’Brien said. Remanufactured transmissions and electronic fan engine cooling systems were also installed.
“We took buses that were approaching the end of their useful lives and reconditioned them,” shared O’Brien. “The newer engines are cleaner, so they cut down on pollution, and it’s a cost-effective solution for the agency.”
Terry Bassett, Executive Director at Yolo, said “The new engines will keep the buses operating for at least six to eight more years. We hope this will help bridge some of our funding gaps for meeting some of our bus replacement needs as well as reduce greenhouse gases.”
“The project also included replacing the CNG tanks on the buses,” states Bassett. “That’s equally important because we have to have tanks that at least match the lifespan of the improvements that are being made to the engines.”
“In 1993, the Yolo district became one of the first transit agencies to adopt CNG technology. The CNG engines are among the lowest-emission engines available in the industry,” said Bassett.
The project will allow Yolo to continue on its path of providing a cleaner transportation system to its community.
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Complete Coach Works (CCW) is the largest U.S. bus remanufacturing and rehabilitation company and the leading provider of a vast array of transportation solutions with over 28 years of dedicated service in the transportation industry. CCW a pioneer in the business and strives to continually provide cleaner air through innovative design and engineering, resulting in the world’s first and only remanufactured all-electric battery powered bus. Developed and integrated by CCW, the Zero Emission Propulsion System (ZEPS) technology provides customers a highly cost effective alternative to green transportation, potentially revolutionizing the transportation industry while supporting the environment for future generations. Regardless of how small or large the job, CCW provides an exceptionally experienced team of over 350 experts, committed to customer service and satisfaction
Yolo County Transportation District (YOLOBUS) operates local and intercity bus service year-round, serving Davis, West Sacramento, Winters, Woodland, downtown Sacramento, Sacramento International Airport, Cache Creek Casino Resort, Esparto, Madison, Dunnigan and Knights Landing. YOLOBUS makes connections with other local public transportation systems. The district operates 44 transit-size coaches powered by CNG, six highway coaches that run on clean diesel and 10 cutaway buses and vans that primarily serve the frail, elderly and disabled.
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Mar 3, 2016 | News & Press
Urban transit buses represent a prime opportunity for electrification. Their typical duty cycles allow them to be conveniently recharged at terminals, and the savings on fuel and maintenance can be enormous. Furthermore, cities around the world are revitalizing and beautifying their downtown districts, so getting rid of noise and diesel smoke is a welcome benefit.
Battery-electric buses are operating in pilot programs in dozens of cities in North America, Europe and Asia, and in EV hotspots such as California and China, they’re already being phased into regular service.
However, municipal transit authorities face the same dilemma that individual car buyers do: while an EV may save a lot of money over its lifetime, the purchase price can be almost double that of a legacy vehicle. Fortunately, there’s an elegant solution.
Complete Coach Works (CCW), founded in 1986, is one of the country’s largest remanufacturers of transit buses. The California company is now offering remanufactured buses with electric drive at prices comparable to new diesel buses, with the additional environmental benefit of recycling the chassis and many of the parts.
There are several reasons that a transit agency might choose to remanufacture vehicles, from replacing worn-out engines to modernizing older buses with new technology, such as accessibility features to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. These days, a growing number of transit authorities are remanufacturing buses in order to upgrade legacy diesel drivetrains to more modern options.
CCW’s Zero Emission Propulsion System (ZEPS) battery-electric buses fit the bill perfectly. Charged recently spoke with ZEPS Sales Manager Ryne Shetterly about the advantages of taking the remanufacturing route.
“We really like to stick to our model of sustainability,” says Shetterly. “By remanufacturing vehicles that are already in service, or that have already gone through a useful life period, we’re saving about ten times of raw materials, and that’s something that we take great pride in. It’s having a big impact on the environment. We’re re-using chassis that are in perfectly good working condition.”
CCW built its first prototype ZEPS bus about five years ago, and now has electric buses in operation in about half a dozen US cities, with several more on order. CCW’s biggest order to date (and the largest fleet of electric transit buses in the country) consists of 21 buses it sold to the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo), which operates approximately 157 buses on 31 routes in Indiana’s capital.
“A lot of people are looking at that project as kind of the indicator of success,” says Shetterly. “For us to actually execute and deliver a successful project like that has really heightened interest, and we’re getting calls from all over the country.”
CCW remanufactures a lot of Gillig, New Flyer and Orion buses, but it works with anything and everything in the transit world. The team has worked with other alternative fuels in the past, including LNG, CNG, and “clean diesel” technologies. “We installed one of the first hybrid packages that was available way back in the day,” says Shetterly, “but that’s not a viable option anymore. We’re always trying to stay on the cutting edge of clean technology, but now we’re all in on electric.”
Shetterly wouldn’t say exactly what percentage of CCW’s business the electric buses represent, but said that it is “a healthy portion…and we do see it being a much larger portion of what we do in the future.”
An offer cities can’t refuse
The cost of a remanufactured battery-electric bus is in the neighborhood of what a new diesel bus would cost with all the options, Shetterly tells us. “We’re coming in at about $580,000. That’s about $200,000-$300,000 less than a brand-new electric bus from one of the OEMs that are currently in production.”
Savings on fuel and maintenance are expected to add up to about $440,000 over the useful life of the bus.
The ZEPS on-board charger (100 amp, 50 kW), is designed to require no special charging infrastructure beyond 480-volt, 3-phase electrical service, which would normally be installed at an overnight depot.
Some transit authorities send CCW their buses to be completely refitted, an option that is not only cheaper, but faster than buying new vehicles. “You can go buy a brand-new bus for X amount of dollars, or you can come to CCW and spend a fraction of that, and have a bus in six months, versus the standard 18-24 month lead time that you see with the OEMs.”
Another advantage of a remanufactured bus is that many of the components are already familiar to maintenance staff. “We’re taking a bus that has been on property for the last ten years or so, and the maintenance team is already familiar with how to take care of the preventive maintenance,” says Shetterly. “None of the parts are going to change, so there’s not going to be any new parts inventory required. The drivers are already familiar with the buses. We keep the OEM build as close as possible to where it was when it came off the line. We rebuild what we can rebuild – obviously some of the essential parts get swapped out for the electrical components, but mostly everything is going to stay the same.”
“The fact that it’s a refurbished bus with a chassis we currently operate in our fleet makes it practical in terms of interchangeability of parts – it’s a great benefit to us,” agrees Mario Delgado, Transit Director of McAllen, Texas, which bought two ZEPS buses. “The response from the drivers so far has been very good. They are excited about how quiet and smooth the ride is.”
The rebirth of a bus
The transformation of a bus begins by dismantling it down to the chassis level. The diesel engine, transmission, radiator and belt-driven accessories are removed, and the differential is remanufactured to a taller gear ratio of 6.1 from the existing ratio of 5.4. Shock absorbers, air bags, tie rod ends and wheel hubs are replaced with new parts. New composite flooring, seating, an electric air compressor and a power steering pump are installed.
Several upgrades help to maximize the vehicle’s operating range, including lightweight flooring and seats, lightweight aluminum wheels, low rolling-resistance tires, energy-efficient heating and cooling, and LED lighting.
The ZEPS bus has a 131 kW liquid-cooled electric motor. “The torque on it is just absolutely amazing,” says Shetterly. “You’re looking at about 1800 pounds of torque. So, it’s great for pulling grades – it operates really well on an intercity route, where there’s a lot of start and stop.”
CCW uses Samsung lithium-ion battery cells, and offers a couple of range options. The standard pack has 311 kWh of energy storage (250 usable), which delivers a range of about 150 miles. It also offers a half-pack option: a 154 kW hour pack coupled with WAVE inductive charging technology (see sidebar).
Battery-electric technology is not suitable for every bus route. “You’ve got some transit buses doing 300 miles a day,” says Shetterly. “Right now, there’s really not an electric bus that will meet those needs. But with the progression in technology, and where the market is heading, it may be something that’s available in the not too distant future.”
Story courtesy of KSBW.com Action News 8.
Mar 1, 2016 | News & Press
For Immediate Release
March 1, 2016
RIVERSIDE, CA — Complete Coach Works (CCW) is pleased to announce it has completed the replacement of forward-facing flip seats with safety barriers on 171 buses of Foothill Transit’s buses. Foothill Transit is the premier provider of public transit services in the San Gabriel Valley, just east of Los Angeles, California.
The work was strongly recommended by the bus manufacturer after it became clear that passengers sitting in forward-facing flip seats with no barriers in front of them could be thrown forward and injured if the driver had to brake hard or make an evasive maneuver.
Some transit agencies have opted to address the issue by locking the flip seats in the up position so they cannot be used, while others have had them taken out.
“Foothill has opted to remove the seats and install the barriers. It is not the most affordable route, but it is the safest option for their riders.” said Kevin O’Brien, General Sales Manager for CCW.
Roland Cordero, Foothill Transit’s Director of Maintenance and Vehicle Technology, said his agency is having the work done on all 171 buses, even though some of them are due to be retired within a year and a half.
“We still have to provide safety to our customers, whether we’re going to be replacing these buses or not,” Cordero said.
“Foothill Transit has contracted a number of projects with CCW and has been pleased with the work that has been done,” shared Cordero. “They have the knowledge, the expertise and the experience. They are very quick to respond and correct issues. We’re happy with their performance and service.”
Complete Coach Works (CCW) is the largest U.S. bus remanufacturing and rehabilitation company and the leading provider of a vast array of transportation solutions with over 28 years of dedicated service in the transportation industry. CCW a pioneer in the business and strives to continually provide cleaner air through innovative design and engineering, resulting in the world’s first and only remanufactured all-electric battery powered bus. Developed and integrated by CCW, the Zero Emission Propulsion System (ZEPS) technology provides customers a highly cost effective alternative to green transportation, potentially revolutionizing the transportation industry while supporting the environment for future generations. Regardless of how small or large the job, CCW provides an exceptionally experienced team of over 350 experts, committed to customer service and satisfaction
Foothill Transit is the largest municipal transit operator in Los Angeles County, second only in size to regional provider Metro. Foothill has 315 buses powered by compressed natural gas and 15 that are fast-charge electric. The agency operates on 36 local and express routes that serve 327 square miles of the San Gabriel and Pomona Valley. Ridership is more than 48,000 a week, or approximately 14 million a year.
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