The coach manufacturer Prevost cannot afford to look too far into the future in the course of an electric turnaround. The recovery in demand is forcing the company to increase its production capacity, despite the challenges faced by its suppliers and the difficulty in finding new employees.
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“We waited 15 or 16 months for a trainer, we’ve never experienced that before,” says François Tremblay, who has headed the Volvo Canada group since March 2, in a recent interview with La Presse, when he was passing through been Montreal. “It used to be about six months. »
This sharp increase in the order book comes as the manufacturer is laying the groundwork for a new electric platform, with a goal of delivering electric buses from 2024. Mr Tremblay – President of Prevost before taking control of Volvo’s Canadian subsidiary last month – juggles the challenges of ramping up and designing a new product.
Starting next month, three vehicles a day are to leave the company’s factories, which will not stop there. Next year we want to assemble four buses a day.
“At the Sainte-Claire plant it was one unit a day in February 2022, illustrates Mr. Tremblay. There are two main issues: labor and supply chains. »
I can grow as fast as I recruit. We’re lucky because last year we recruited 240 people in Sainte-Claire and it was supposed to be 150 [embauches] This year.
Francois Tremblay, President of Prevost
Prevost generates approximately 85% of its sales in the United States. On public transport, ridership has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, but demand is still there.
The health restrictions have had a positive impact on both private bus companies and the entertainment industry.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
François Tremblay heads the Volvo Canada group.
“We can add the $2-3 million luxury RVs,” says Mr. Tremblay. In the world of music, bands essentially drive our vehicles. There is a great demand for the catch-up campaign. Transport companies also want to keep their fleet in good shape. A vehicle after ten years, you have to forget that. Duty cycles are tough. »
Electrical Stuttering
Like other players in the electrical sector, Prevost received financial support from the Legault government last year as part of its electrification ambitions. Aid totals $23 million in grants and forgivable loans. This allows the company to follow competitors such as Proterra (USA), Van Hool (Belgium) and BYD (China), which offer electric coaches.
Even though production of the H3-45 model isn’t scheduled until 2026, Mr Tremblay claims to be “on the eve” of the “first orders” announcement. However, he did not provide any details about the identity of the buyers at this time.
According to his manager, the coachbuilder’s engineers are facing “three major challenges”. The weight with six battery packs, each weighing at least 500 kilograms, the space requirement and the range of the vehicle.
We are currently reckoning with a range of 400 kilometers. This should be able to address four niches: short-distance trips in cities, shuttles for employee transport, short-distance overland trips and vehicles for city tours.
“A trip between Montreal and Quebec is perfect,” says Mr. Tremblay. We are talking about a journey of around 270 kilometers with the possibility of charging at the destination. Our coach can answer everything that concerns usage under 400 kilometers. »
The electrical circuit at Prevost should draw on the expertise of Nova Bus, which also belongs to the Volvo Group. The electric circuit is more advanced for this city bus manufacturer, which has already delivered its LSFE+ electric models.
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850 employees These are the employees of the Prevost plant in Sainte-Claire.
Source: Prevost