Motor Coach Industries J4500 CHARGE
| Years of manufacture | 2018 to present |
| Length | 45 feet |
| Width | 102 inches |
| Power/Fuel | Electricity |
The Motor Coach Industries J4500 CHARGETM (known as the J4500e prior to May 2021) is a battery-electric luxury tour and charter coach sold in Canada and the United States. In May 2018, MCI announced that their prototype successfully completed its phase one testing. It was able to operate at a sustained 70 miles per hour on the highway. Series production of the J4500e is scheduled to begin in January 2020.[1]
The prototype featured a high-torque 2,130 ft-lb electric drive from Siemens and 450 kWh Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteries. There are four battery packs in the second luggage bay, four in the engine compartment, and one behind the third luggage compartment.[2] The bus could be fully charged with a high power plug-in charger in under three hours.[1] It had a range of 200 miles and a top speed of 72 miles per hour.[3]
The production J4500 CHARGE features a Siemens motor that produces 3,320 ft-lb of torque and 544 kWh NMC batteries. The bus has a range of 230 to 240 miles and can be recharged in under four hours.[4] In February 2022, Universal Coach Line was announced as the first customer for the electric coach.[5] However, in December MCI announced that the first two production J4500 CHARGE units were delivered to an unidentified Northern California operator of employee shuttles.[6] The first known deployment of these coaches in charter service in the U.S. was in July 2023 when Roberts Hawaii received three J4500 CHARGE coaches.
Specifications
| Dimensions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Length: 45.58 ft. (13.80m) | ||
| Width: 102.00 in (2.59m) | ||
| Height: 140.75 in (3.58m) | ||
| Wheelbase: 315.00 in (8.00m) | ||
| Turning Radius: 47.00 ft (14.32m) | ||
| Gross Vehicle Weight: 54,000 lb (24,494 kg) | ||
| Motor | ||
| Siemens 400 kW (max) 4500 Nm | ||
| Gearbox | ||
| 4.7 gear ratio direct drive | ||
| Energy storage | ||
| A123 Systems 26 Ah NMC 450 kWh (pre-production) | ||
| XALT 63 Ah NMC 544 kWh (production) | ||
| Charging | ||
| Plug-in CCS1 150 kW charger | ||
| Seating capacity | ||
| 56 passengers |
Operators
Canada 
- Universal Coach Line - Richmond, BC (on order)
United States 
- Roberts Hawaii - HI
Demonstrator units
| Fleet number |
Thumbnail | Year | VIN | Motor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67896 | 2018 | 2MGLJMZA3JW067896 | Siemens |
| |
| 68160 | 2020 | 2MGLJMZAXLW068160 | Siemens |
| |
| 69706 | 2020 | LW069706 | Siemens | ||
| 69910 | 2020 | LW069910 | Siemens |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 NORTH AMERICA'S #1 MOTOR COACH ON THE ROAD WITH BATTERY-ELECTRIC. Press release. Motor Coach Industries, 10 May 2018.
- ↑ Plachno, Larry. "Test Driving the New Electric MCI J4500e CHARGE". National Bus Trader, February 2019. p. 15-22.
- ↑ MCI Electric Coaches brochure. Motor Coach Industries, August 2018.
- ↑ "2021 J4500 CHARGE and D45 CRT LE CHARGE brochure". Motor Coach Industries.
- ↑ Universal Coach Line first in Canada to order MCI battery-electric coach. Motor Coach Industries, February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
- ↑ MCI delivers its first zero-emission J4500 CHARGE coaches. Motor Coach Industries, December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ↑ "A Canadian bus company is setting a record by driving an electric motorcoach from Kamloops to Vancouver", vancouverisawesome.com, August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.