Rochdale-based bus producer, Mellor, has announced it will launch an all-new range of single-deck battery-electric buses for 2022, as the company moves into previously untapped bus markets. The new multi-variant range is expected to include an extensive choice of lengths, widths, operating ranges, and gross vehicle weights, with further details due to be announced in December 2021.

In the most significant new bus model introduction in the UK for many years – and anticipated to be the widest range of battery-electric buses from any manufacturer in Europe – the new Mellor range will provide an exciting alternative for customers both in the UK and in overseas markets. Drawing on a proven track record of design and engineering expertise, Mellor will substantially broaden its appeal with a larger range of vehicles, offering increased operating capability to customers while maintaining Mellor’s core principles of producing both size- and cost-appropriate buses.

The news follows the announcement in October of Mellor’s ambitions to reposition the business from 2022, with subsequent plans revealed for the opening of a new Mellor (Scarborough) facility next year.
Mellor announced last month that it intends to develop as a major player in the UK and European bus markets with a focus on people, technology, and facilities central to the company’s ambitions. And, Mellor’s Bus Division Managing Director, Mark Clissett, confirmed this week that the company is to launch a new product range, saying, “…we’re about to see a step-change in our product range and embark upon a new chapter in the recent history of Mellor.”

The new electric bus range is the culmination of the wider capabilities of Woodall Nicholson – Mellor’s parent group company – having seen development through investment over recent years. The product announcement is very much part of Mellor’s repositioning plans to address increasing customer demands for zero-emissions buses, to provide both technical and commercial solutions outside the current traditional thinking of many bus suppliers.

With the opening of a new Mellor (Scarborough) facility next autumn to support Mellor’s existing manufacturing HQ in Rochdale, Mellor’s sister company, Promech Technologies, is also an integral part of the new purpose-built facility in Scarborough. The partnership creates a symbiosis between the two organisations and one which is unique in the bus and coach manufacturing sector.

Mellor’s current and well-established product line-up includes the Orion, Strata, Maxima, and Tucana ranges, together offering size- and cost-appropriate vehicle options for a wide range of operations. The line-up also includes a growing number of full-electric variants, including recent new models to take advantage of recent government funding initiatives.

“We’re very excited indeed about our new electric bus range,” said Mark Clissett, “a bold move which we believe will shake up the UK bus market and deliver a fresh new business proposition for operators. Our new electric bus range will provide a genuine alternative for customers, with the widest range of models currently on the market today.
“Our focus has fallen on people, technology and facilities,” he said, “and we’re bringing all these aspects together now as we gear up for an exciting 2022.”