Designline
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| Private | |
| Industry | Bus manufacturing |
| Founded |
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| Founders |
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| Headquarters | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States |
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Area served
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North America |
| Owner | Wonderland Investment Group |
| Website | epvcorp |
Environmental Performance Vehicles (EPV), previously DesignLine Corporation, is a manufacturer of coach, electric and range-extended electric (hybrid) buses founded in Ashburton, New Zealand in 1985. Initially it was a manufacturer of tour coaches. In the 1990s it diversified into conventional transit buses and then added hybrid city buses in the late 1990s. It was acquired by American interests in 2006, and DesignLine Corporation's headquarters was relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina. Following a bankruptcy in 2013, the assets of DesignLine were sold and the company was renamed.
EPV is no longer affiliated with the DesignLine operations in New Zealand, which was placed in liquidation in 2011 and has since been sold to a Malaysian-controlled joint business venture who operate it under the name DesignLine Bus Pacific.
As DesignLine, it filed for protection under chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Court in Delaware on August 15, 2013. The case was subsequently transferred to North Carolina. They employed over 250 people in the city of Charlotte.
Katie Goodman, Managing Partner of GGG Partners, LLC was retained as Chief Restructuring Officer of the corporation just prior to the filing.
On October 28, 2013, Wonderland Investment Group Inc. acquired most of the assets of DesignLine in an auction. Several key issues of the bankruptcy - including a class action suit for wrongful termination by DesignLine employees and the potential termination of a contract with the Denver Regional Transportation District - are set to be decided on January 14, 2014. Wonderland renamed the company EPV in January 2014.
One key component of the EPV fleet is its range-extended electric bus (hybrid), the EcoSaver. The bus is a plug-in battery powered electric vehicle. As battery power is depleted, an on-board diesel or compressed natural gas (CNG) turbine engine engages. Unlike other hybrid buses, the on-board engine does not run vehicle systems as the battery depletes. Rather the turbine produces electricity that recharges the batteries. The turbines are supplied by Capstone Turbine of Chatsworth, California.
The bus was originally designed as a response to the international tender for ecological buses to be used in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. While the design was rated as technically best[citation needed] it did not win the tender. This first-of-its-kind technology has been deployed in a number of fleets as the process has been tested and improved. Recent testing at the Bus Testing and Research Center at Penn State University show a substantial improvement in fuel economy over traditional buses. The EcoSaver will also be included as part of a national research effort coordinated by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) to yield performance data on clean fuel vehicles.
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