11.01.21

In The News

New Record with an MCI Electric Coach

Published by National Bus Trader

TRAXX Coachlines set a new record in electric coach operation by driving a new MCI J4500 Charge from Kamloops to Vancouver, British Columbia. The event took place on August 30 and involved a difficult route through the mountains.

TRAXX has taken the pandemic to look at how to move forward as people emerge from a trying time in history, and embraced the challenges faced by the travel industry. With new groundbreaking innovations becoming the frontier of the future economy, it is important that the company continually evaluates how to do business.

On August 30 in collaboration with MCI, TRAXX began a record-setting voyage from Kamloops, British Columbia to Delta aboard a fully electric, zero-emissions MCI J4500 Charge commuter coach, driving at high altitudes along the infamous Coquihala Highway. The trip lasted just under four hours, marking an historic moment for TRAXX in utilizing a “proof of concept” in the J4500 as a flagship for the event.

Once the coach arrived in Delta, the coach was still left with more than 100 KM in range to go, indicating that although the demands of power on the highway were great, the electric coach was ready to take on the task.

The following day saw the TRAXX team including CEO Matthew Cox as well as select guests aboard the J4500 once again. This time it was in the heart of Vancouver starting out at Jack O’Poole Plaza/Canada Place with three separate 11⁄2-hour tours around landmark locations in the Vancouver area. The tour on the electric MCI J4500 took the passengers toward English Bay, Spanish Banks, Granville Island and other hot spots in the city.

At days end, the All electric J4500 coach was found to only use between six to nine percent battery life to power each tour – an impressive display of the ingenuity by the team at MCI.

While the infrastructure has room to grow to offer a broad application to fully electric group travel options like the coach, the voyage proved that alternative fuel and power sources are without a doubt, the way of the future.

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