Stuart Saunders
An Australian inventor and industrial designer has offered the use of his EsDrive 1A Driveline to the New South Wales Government to help switch 8000 Sydney buses to electric.
Congratulating NSW transport minister Andrew Constance on the “very progressive” decision to convert the buses, Stuart Saunders says his offer excludes a royalty or licensing fee. Instead, he’s asking the NSW Government to put the royalties toward restoration of the Murwillumbah to Casino (Northern Rivers) railway line to form a continuous line from Cairns to Perth.
Saunders tells EVtalk he grew up on the Tweed and trained with Leyland Australia, back in the days of the Leyland P76.
“I now live in Thailand, where I manufacture some of my inventions.”
Saunders asks the NSW Government to provide about $40 million towards the rail line restoration at the equivalent of about $5000 in royalties per bus.
He includes a few other riders, such as providing a $1m bond for intellectual property rights in the event confidential technical details of his driveline are released.
Saunders also suggests the transport department appoint up to two engineers to assist with the project.
He says the EsDrive 1A would particularly suit public transport because of its low unsprung weight and high sprung/unsprung ratio providing a better ride for passengers over bumps as well as being “kinder” to the road.
“Our driveline is motor agnostic; generally the motor will be supplied by the customer,” Saunders says.
Whatever range they would have achieved with that motor would be increased 10-15% due to friction and weight saving.”
Saunders sees his proposal as a win all around.
“It would be getting heaps of (the most advanced) electric buses on the road and get the Northern Rivers line going again (with battery electric rail motors) providing an hourly service with connection to Queensland Rail.”
Saunders says it would form a coastal line from Cairns to Perth via Byron Bay and the Great Australian Bight – transforming Australian rail sustainably for locals and tourists.
He says the 8000 buses would also prove his EV driveline’s viability.
