Unfortunately this union is slack about dating its webpages (it doesn't) and the only thing to go by is its news releases which run up to May 2017. From a comment made elsewhere on the site it seems that the "October" date was October 2016 and that the project was running behind as of February 2017 (and obviously still running behind). So there may be some problems, which is hardly unusual with new technology.

You have to understand that Wrightspeed is not manufacturing anything yet. It's trialling its technology on various testbeds, one of which, a garbage truck, was chosen because of its heavy stop-start work cycle - destruction testing basically. Not much use running such a test on a freight truck that just cruises along highways, you need something more arduous than that. So this trolleybus body is also no more than a testbed. It would next have to go through a lot of proving, tweaking etc. I would say it would be a long way off any commercial order. Give it a year or two, if it works.

Tony P
---InTramsDownUnder@..., <mcloughlin.dj@...> wrote :

Tony P wrote:

> Finally here is something more concrete on this project, with video and quite a bit of detail on what's happening

That is very, very old, and nothing has happened since. The one trolley removed for conversion has never made an appearance and neither the council, NZ Bus or anyone else will say what is happening,.

My research shows Wrightspeed has not made one city bus anywhere. It may have made two vans and a rubbish truck.

At present a BYD electric bus is being trialled in Wellington. Not as a trolley replacement but as part of a plan that 10 double decker versions will be used by the firm that has won 60pc of Wellington routes from July 1 next year, Tranzit. This firm has to find 200-plus new diesel buses and 10 DD electrics by then. That is a big order in a short time.

The trolleys soldier on,

david in Wellington, pondering whether I could buy the Sydney Harbour Bridge