The Enviro400 (often abbreviated E400) is a two-axle, double-deck bus produced by Alexander Dennis in the United Kingdom, and is part of the factory's "Enviro" series of models introduced in 2005. Its chassis is a modified version of the Dennis Trident II, and its body replaced the Alexander ALX400 and Plaxton President bodies (neither of which were adopted by local bus companies).
Enviro400 is the first two-axle low-floor double-deck air-conditioned bus in Hong Kong, and has been progressively joining the KMB, Citybus and MTR Bus fleets since 2010. From 2010 to 2018, a total of 196 Enviro400 buses were produced for Hong Kong.
In 2014, Alexander Dennis announced the launch of the much-improved Enviro400 M'ajor M'odel C'hange (Enviro400 MMC) with Euro VI environmentally friendly engines, and the body was redesigned[2] meaning that the original Enviro400 was gradually replaced. Production then continued under the name Enviro400 Euro V.
With the full implementation of the Euro VI environmental standards in the United Kingdom at the end of 2016, the manufacturer has stopped accepting new orders and begun to liquidate its stock, and the first-generation Enviro400 models have officially entered history[3] and was replaced by the Enviro400 MMC.
Design[]
The Enviro400 chassis (also known as the "Trident 2" at the time) is a Denise Trident II (two-piece) chassis. The Enviro400 chassis (also known as the "Trident 2" at the time) was a modified version of the Dennis Trident II (two-axle version), and could be equipped with either a Cummins ISCe-225 Euro III engine or an ISBe-250 Euro IV engine, and a Voith DIWA 854.5 4-speed or ZF Ecolife 6AP1203B six-speed transmission.
The body of the Enviro400 features an aluminum skeleton and side panels with extensive use of fiberglass components. The model is usually available as a one-piece (i.e. body with chassis), but the Enviro400 clean body can also be mounted on a two-axle version of the Volvo B9TL, B7TL or Scania N230UD chassis, and the clean chassis can also be fitted to other body models (e.g. Optare Olympus). The UK Enviro400 has a crank ladder[4], a single door, and a 4.2-meter short-body option, but none of them were adopted in Hong Kong.
Differences from the UK version[]
The Hong Kong version of the Enviro400 The design of the Hong Kong version of the Enviro 400 differs from the UK version in a number of notable ways, notably the longer tailgate and a different rear end design to allow for a monobloc air conditioner. The engine has been changed to a larger, higher output Cummins ISL 320hp engine, with a higher ground clearance for the engine radiator (and therefore one less seat in the last row of the lower deck than the UK version) and all Alcoa alloy wheels, to cope with the extra weight of the many hilly roads in Hong Kong, and the addition of air-conditioning. There are also significant differences in the upper deck windshield and the first windows on both sides of the upper deck. However, the Hong Kong straight staircase version, like the UK straight staircase version, has seats above the front axle (forward-facing "navigation seats") and uses parallelogram cylinders and ZF axles (the Dana front axle is used in the UK domestic hybrid and Euro IV diesel versions). Some seats in the UK version have thin cushions over fiberglass components rather than individual seats, but this is not the case in the Hong Kong version.
Introduction to Hong Kong[]
First generation version[]
First-generation version Citybus applied to the Transport Department in early 2009 for approval to introduce the Enviro400 as a replacement for the then-retiring 10.4-metre Leyland Olympian, and KMB ordered a demonstrator bus from the Alexander Dennis factory after Citybus's application was approved.
The Enviro400 is the first two-axle, double-deck, low-floor air-conditioned bus in Hong Kong and the shortest straight staircase bus ever built. Due to the additional weight of the air-conditioning units, the bus weighs 18 tons, exceeding the Hong Kong law that a two-axle vehicle may not exceed a gross vehicle weight of 16 tons[5] limit[6] and therefore need to apply to the Transport Department for an exemption before they can be licensed. The Transport Department granted a gross weight limit of 18 tons (18,289 kg) for the 11.45 m (MB1-40) of the CMB MCW Metrobus in those years, so the exemption for the Enviro400 is also limited to 18 tons. The passenger capacity are also less than the Dennis Trident 10.3m and 10.6m, which are of similar length, by 15 to 24 passengers.
The first two Enviro400 double-deck buses (one for Citybus and one for KMB) were parked at the depot of the agent of Yutong Bus in Kam Tin, Yuen Long, after their arrival in Hong Kong in the early hours of 23 November 2009[7][8][9]. One of KMB's Enviro400s then arrived at Transport Department for its first inspection on 26 November[10][11] and underwent a tilt test on 8 December[12].
On 7 December 2009, the two buses were delivered to KMB and Citybus respectively. On the same day, KMB issued a press release announcing that it was "the first to introduce" the Enviro400[13], stating that it was ‘the fifth generation of the European Union's two-axle, double-deck, air-conditioned, environmentally-friendly buses, combining the most advanced technologies to enhance environmental friendliness, safety, and interior layout, and turning a new page in the development of Hong Kong's bus fleet.[14]
Second generation version[]
In 2014, the Enviro400 "Trident 2" chassis was renamed "Enviro400 Euro V", and the buses were equipped with Euro V engines.
Among the new batch of Enviro400 Euro V in Hong Kong, the batches of NWFB and NLB were converted to the short body of Enviro400, which was modelled on the Enviro500 MMC Facelift version of the body, while the batches of MTR buses continued to use the standard-height body of the old model.
Bus fleets[]
In view of the fact that a number of bus companies in Hong Kong are equipped with Enviro400, branch pages are set up according to bus companies, focusing on the information of the batches of Enviro400 purchased by each company:
| KMB | Citybus | NWFB | MTR Bus | NLB |
Bottom scraping locations[]
Enviro400 buses with standard height body may scrape its chassis at the exit of Fo Tan (Shan Mei Street) Bus Terminus. (Except for the low-height Enviro400 Euro V due to its shorter headspace).
Replacements[]
Enviro400 MMC[]
Related articles[]
- Enviro500
- Enviro200 Dart
- Enviro200 MMC
- Enviro
Notes and References[]
- ↑ Detailed description of Dennis Enviro400 chassis, HKBRIC
- ↑ New E400 Spec Sheet Outer PRINT - Alexander Dennis
- ↑ busandcoachbuyer.com - alexander-dennis
- ↑ This refers to the first generation version only, most second generation versions in Hong Kong featured a crank ladder
- ↑ Refers to the imperial long tonnage, where 16 tons is equivalent to 16,257 kilograms.
- ↑ Part II of Schedule 2, Chapter 374A of the Laws of Hong Kong.
- ↑ E400 已獲噪音類型審核? (Has E400 been given noise type approval?), HKiTalk, 22 November 2009.
- ↑ 神秘兩軸E400終於到港!!! (2-axle Enviro400 arrived secretly in HK), HKBF.
- ↑ CTB & KMB Enviro400 arrived HK, HKiTalk, 23 November 2009.
- ↑ 九巴E400消息 (News on KMB E400), HKiTalk, 26 November 2009.
- ↑ 我又黎E400@土驗, HKiTalk, 26 November 2009.
- ↑ ENVIRO400 傾斜測試 (ENVIRO400 on tilt test), HKiTalk, 9 December 2009.
- ↑ According to the chassis number, the first demonstrator bus is in fact Citybus 7000.
- ↑ 九巴率先引入歐盟第五代兩軸雙層空調環保巴士 集先進科技與智能設施於一身, 7 December 2009.
External links[]
Enviro400 MMC and Enviro400 Euro V