The Lion Electric Company is a Canadian-based bus manufacturer. Currently the smallest manufacturer in its segment, Lion primarily produces yellow school buses, specializing in battery-electric powertrains. Founded in 2011 as Lion Bus, the company is headquartered in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec.
History
Autobus Lion (2011-2017)
The first school bus manufacturer founded in North America in the 21st century, Autobus Lion/Lion Bus is also the first manufacturer of full-size school buses in Canada since the closure of Les Enterprises Michel Corbeil in 2007. Lion Bus was created in 2008 by former Corbeil executives Marc Bédard and Camile Chartrand. In 2011, the company introduced its first bus, the Lion 360°, a cowled-chassis school bus, produced in a partnership with Spartan Chassis, Inc. In contrast to other manufacturers of full-size buses, the 360 was offered by itself, to streamline production costs.
La Compagnie Électrique Lion (2017-present)
In June 2017, Lion Bus rebranded itself as the Lion Electric Company. As part of the transition, the company announced the development of a second bus design, a flat-floor fully electric minibus for school and transit applications. In addition, Lion announced the development of Class 5-8 fully electric trucks, with a planned launch in fall 2018. In November 2017, Power Energy, announced a major investment in Lion Electric. In the summer of 2018, the company established a base of operations in central California.
Products
Lion 360°
Launched in 2011, the Lion Bus 360° is a cowled-chassis bus sold as either a school bus, MFSAB, or a commercial-use bus. As with the Blue Bird Vision, the 360 does not use a chassis and hood of a production medium-duty truck, instead having a proprietary chassis developed for the bus by Spartan Chassis. Though few body configurations were initially offered, the 360 was offered with options such as wheelchair lifts or underfloor luggage compartments. In its development, several features of the 360 focused on lengthening the service life of school buses. In the interest of corrosion resistance, the body does not use steel exterior panels, consisting of composite body panels, with the lower bodywork using TPO panels. In a break from school bus design precedent, the 360 is produced with a 102-inch wide body ; the change was intended for either wider center aisles or to better accommodate 3-point seatbelts. In May 2015, Lion unveiled a CNG-fueled variant of the 360, becoming the first manufacturer to produce a Type C school bus powered by a CNG-fueled engine. Powered by a NGV Motori version of the International DT466 engine, it is unclear how many were produced.
Lion eLion (LionC)
Launched in 2015, the eLion is a fully electric vehicle, sharing its body and Spartan chassis with the 360. In place of the Cummins diesel, a 250kW TM4SUMO MDelectric motor is used along with LG lithium-ion batteries. The eLion is externally distinguished from the 360 by its colored bumpers, which are either painted blue or green.
LionM/LionA/LionD
Launched in 2018, the LionM is a low-floor midibus/minibus produced in a 26-foot length. Offering kneeling and an integrated wheelchair ramp, the LionM was developed for transit, paratransit, and shuttle applications. The LionA is a Type A school bus, adopting the axle configuration of a much larger Type D bus. with a larger school bus called LionD. The LionM and LionA are equipped with either one or two 80 kWh LG Chem lithium-ion battery packs mounted below the floor, allowing for either a 75-mile or 150-mile driving range. Alongside a 19.2 kW J1777 charger, DC fast-charging is an option, along with battery swapping.
Lion8
Introduced in March 2019, the Lion8 is a Class 8 fully electric truck, produced in a cabover configuration. Developed primarily for urban and vocational use, the Lion8 currently has a range of 250 miles. It is equipped with a TM4 SUMO HD electric motor and a 480 kWh battery.
