The Big Lemon is not a normal bus company. It was founded in Brighton in 2007 by Tom Druitt and his childhood friend Graeme Simpson as a community interest company, owned by local people. For years its buses ran on waste cooking oil. In 2017 it went a step further.
The company took Optare Solo midi buses that originally ran on diesel and had their entire driveline replaced with an electric system by Magtec of Sheffield. Instead of charging from the grid, they are charged from solar panels on the roof of the Big Lemon depot. The first bus, named Om Shanti (“I am peace”), entered service in spring 2017 with the proud slogan you can see on its side.
On one charge the buses can run about 100 miles (160 km), which is plenty for a day on city routes. In 2018 Druitt set Om Shanti a challenge: drive the full length of each Big Lemon route in one day, in service, with passengers, without running out of charge. It finished with 36% of its battery left.
To fund more electric buses, The Big Lemon issued Solar Bus Bonds to the public, a 5-year investment with a 5% return. Local people could directly own a piece of their town’s clean transport.
Technical data
| Operator | The Big Lemon CIC, Brighton (founded 2007 by Tom Druitt and Graeme Simpson) |
|---|---|
| Bus | Optare Solo, converted from diesel; first bus named “Om Shanti” |
| Driveline | Electric, by Magtec (Sheffield) |
| Charging | Solar panels on the depot roof (Black Rock / Whitehawk) |
| Range | ~100 miles (160 km) per charge |
| In service | Spring 2017 |
| Funding | Community Solar Bus Bonds (5 years, 5%) |
Photo (Brighton, cropped): WFan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources: The Big Lemon (2018) · Bus & Coach Buyer (2017) · Fully Charged