Micro Bird acquires Quebec’s Ecotuned

As of August 12, Type A school bus designer and maker, Micro Bird, announced it has acquired a controlling interest in Québec-based EV drivetrain integrator and supplier, GranTuned Automobiles (Ecotuned). Micro Bird is a joint venture between U.S. school bus manufacturer, Blue Bird, and Canadian bus distributor, Girardin.

Founded in 2011, Ecotuned develops efficient EV drivetrains for light and medium duty applications. The company says that efficient is predominantly due to its proprietary, two-speed EV transmission and battery management systems (BMS), plus advanced algorithms that maintain performance while allowing for a smaller electric motor and battery.

According to Micro Bird, it’s partnership with Ecotuned currently holds more than 80% of North America’s market share in the EV Type A school bus market.

In addition to the school bus segment, Micro Bird says it plans to deploy its Micro Bird G5 with Ecotuned EV powertrain in the commercial bus segment. For it’s part, Ecotuned says it plans to expand its EV powertrains in class 3 to 7 segments across various vocations.

“We are very excited about this highly-strategic acquisition,” said Blue Bird Corp. CEO, Phil Horlock. “This acquisition reinforces our leadership in the EV school bus market while positioning Micro Bird and Blue Bird for significant growth in revenue, profitability and value.”
www.girardinbluebird.com
http://ecotuned.com