Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC


The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC is a low-floor double-decker bus produced by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis since 2014, replacing the Alexander Dennis Enviro400. The Enviro400 MMC is produced at Alexander Dennis' Falkirk and Scarborough factories in the United Kingdom.
The Enviro400 MMC is available as a complete integral bus – including an alternative styling, the Enviro400 City – or as a bus bodywork on BYD, Scania and Volvo chassis. A tri-axle variant, known as the Enviro400 XLB, is also produced. The Enviro400 MMC is available powered by either Euro VI diesel, compressed natural gas, hybrid-electric or fully-electric powertrains.

Introduction

The Enviro400 MMC can trace its design roots back to 1997, with the introduction of the Dennis Trident 2, one of the first low-floor double-decker buses to enter service. The model saw immense success at the turn of the millennium, despite financial difficulties facing Dennis Specialist Vehicles during this period. As a result of these, production of the Trident 2 passed first to TransBus International in 2001 and then to Alexander Dennis in 2004.
Alexander Dennis updated the basic Trident 2 chassis to launch the classic Enviro400 in 2005 – the basic chassis of which was initially still badged internally as a Trident. A second-generation Enviro400 was launched in 2009, with facelifted styling and updated chassis design which finally dropped the Trident moniker. The second-generation Enviro400 was overhauled again to create the Enviro400 MMC, which was launched as the classic model's eventual replacement in 2014. Production of the classic Enviro400 ceased in 2018.

Core body designs

Enviro400 MMC

The Enviro400 MMC was unveiled by Alexander Dennis on 1 May 2014, as the eventual successor to the classic Enviro400. Compared to the classic Enviro400, changes included a complete body redesign with new front and rear ends and Euro VI engines as standard. The Oxford Bus Company was the first company to operate the Enviro400 MMC, followed by Go-Ahead, Stagecoach and Reading Buses.
The standard Enviro400 MMC is also available as a hybrid-electric integral, or as a body on Volvo B5LH hybrid chassis; examples of the latter are in service with Stagecoach East Scotland and Stagecoach London, while the former has seen widespread adoption with operators across London. The Enviro400 MMC body is also available on Scania chassis, as with the classic Enviro400, although now the updated Scania N250UD model is offered instead of the previous N230UD. Stagecoach became the first customer to operate the Enviro400 MMC on N250UD chassis in 2016, with deliveries to Stagecoach East Kent.

Enviro400 City

In late 2015, Alexander Dennis launched the Enviro400 City, a premium model of the Enviro400 MMC, featuring restyled front and rear ends to match the single-decker Enviro200 MMC and a glass staircase as standard amongst other features. The Enviro400 City was designed to compete with the New Routemaster and Wright SRM designs, and the first examples, with hybrid powertrain, entered service with Arriva London on route 78.
Blackpool Transport became the first operator outside London to order the Enviro400 City in January 2016, with diesel variants for the 9 service, to be upgraded to high-specification Palladium standard with the arrival of the new buses. Subsequently, large numbers of diesel Enviro400 City have entered service with Blackpool Transport, Plymouth Citybus and First Glasgow, along with CNG-powered examples on Scania N250UD chassis with First Norfolk & Suffolk for their XL Service and Scania N280UD chassis with First West of England, Nottingham City Transport and Reading Buses. The Enviro400 City is also the body style chosen for the all-electric BYD K10-based model.

Enviro400 XLB

The tri-axle Enviro400 XLB was launched in 2019, providing an equivalent option to the Enviro500 for the United Kingdom market. The Enviro400 XLB features essentially the same body style as the standard Enviro400 MMC, but stretched over three axles and fitted onto Volvo B8L chassis. Lothian Buses were the launch customer for the Enviro400 XLB, with an initial order of 42 vehicles for their new Lothian city core routes. These 100-seat vehicles are intended for British and Irish operators who benefit from the Enviro400 XLB's high degree of parts commonality with other Enviro400 MMC variants; the Enviro500 MMC has a different body structure and is intended for international markets where this factor is less important. Recently, the Enviro400 XLB has been introduced on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, operated by Stagecoach in The Fens, with 12 vehicles.

Powertrain variants

Enviro400H

The first Enviro400H integral hybrid-electric buses entered service in late 2014 in London. The Enviro400H was initially launched with the MMC-style body, although the City-style body was also made available from late 2015; it was first unveiled at the UK Bus & Coach Expo at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham in October 2015. The Enviro400H is also available with Volvo B5LH chassis under the MMC-style body, as ordered in considerable numbers by Stagecoach.

Enviro400 CNG

The Enviro400 CNG was launched in 2017, with the first production example entering service with First West of England in Bristol on a trial basis. The Enviro400 CNG is only available with the City-style body, built onto Scania N280UD compressed natural gas-powered chassis. Subsequently, First West of England placed an order for 21 Enviro400 CNGs, with were subcontracted out to CT Plus Bristol and entered service on Bristol Metrobus pink line m1 in 2018.
Nottingham City Transport have been by far the largest customer for the Enviro400 CNG, taking delivery of 118 examples between 2017 and 2019 as part of a major fleet renewal programme. Additional Enviro400 CNGs have entered service with Reading Buses.

Enviro400 EV

In 2018, Alexander Dennis launched the Enviro400 EV all-electric variant on BYD Auto's K10 chassis, powertrain and batteries. This 10.9 metre long variant is due to enter service in 2019 with Metroline in London and is the second electric bus model from Alexander Dennis, following 2016's launch of the Enviro200 EV, also in partnership with BYD. The chassis, motor and battery are adapted from BYD's integral K10 10.2 metre double-decker which achieves a 303km service range from a 320kWh lithium iron phosphate battery and two 150kW motors.
First York have placed the first order for Enviro400 EVs outside of London, with an unconfirmed number due for delivery towards the end of 2019 on York park & ride contract services.
Stagecoach Manchester ordered 32 Enviro400 EVs and were delivered in early 2020. Stagecoach Cambridge received two and entered service in February on the Citi 6.
National Express West Midlands ordered 29 Enviro400 EVs, with the first 19 arriving in early 2020, and entering service in July 2020. The other 10 are due to arrive at Coventry in the autumn.

Operations

United Kingdom

In 2015, National Express West Midlands took delivery of 106 Enviro400 MMCs, 58 of which were for its new high-specification Platinum range of services. Stagecoach is currently in the process of receiving a total of 136 examples for services with Stagecoach London, Stagecoach Manchester, Stagecoach South East, Stagecoach East Scotland and Stagecoach in Oxfordshire as well as a single demonstrator vehicle whilst Cardiff Bus has received 10 examples.
In 2016, National Express West Midlands took delivery of a further 96 examples for its expanding Platinum range of services; they were launched on routes 126, 529, X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X14 and X61 . In 2017, Southern Vectis took delivery of the MMC version to launch at the same time as its new ticket machines. National Express West Midlands again purchased a further 38 examples for its Platinum range. They were delivered throughout December 2017. All 38 were intended for the Harborne corridor in Birmingham, originally routes 22, 23, 24 and 29. In 2018, National Express West Midlands bought a further 72 Enviro400 MMCs for the West Midlands 9, 50, X10 and X70 and the Coventry 11 and 12X services.
Stagecoach East Midlands have placed 35 Enviro400 MMCs into service as of 2019. The first three buses arrived at Worksop depot in August 2016. The next batch of 15 buses entered service on newly-branded Simplibus services in Kingston upon Hull in October 2016. Six more Enviro400 MMCs entered service on Lincolnshire County Council-funded InterConnect cross-county services based out of Gainsborough depot in November 2017, painted in a purple variation of the standard Stagecoach livery. The final eleven buses entered service at Mansfield and Worksop depots in June 2018, branded for Nottingham to Chesterfield service the Pronto, operated jointly with Trentbarton. A further 17 Enviro400 MMCs have entered service with Stagecoach Yorkshire, the first nine of which entered service at Barnsley depot in September 2016 for Town Lines service 66. Eight more buses, delivered to luxury Stagecoach Gold specification for extended route X17 between Matlock, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Meadowhall and Barnsley, entered service in September 2018.
In October 2016, eight high-specification Enviro400 MMCs entered service at First West Yorkshire's Hunslet Park depot for First Express service X84 between Leeds and Skipton, branded as the Wharfedale Connection. Arriva Yorkshire placed 37 Enviro400 MMCs into service across their Castleford and Heckmondwike depots during the summer of 2017. Eleven of these were delivered to Arriva's luxury Sapphire standard for upgraded Castleford to Leeds services 163 and 166. The remainder were delivered in standard Arriva specification for Leeds to Wakefield route 189 and Leeds to Dewsbury and Halifax routes 254 and 255.