Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters, Inc. (GFMI), a global leader in the design, engineering and development of cutting-edge prototypes and production programs for the world’s largest automotive, aviation, aerospace, rail and entertainment companies, was commissioned by Thunder Sky Winston Group it integrated their world class Lithium batteries into the EV Bus. The bus, created by Metalcrafters, will seat 42 passengers and feature a center driving position and glass cockpit. It will make extensive and distinctive use of carbon fiber while running on 96 lithium Winston batteries, totaling 350 volts.
Debuted during an invite-only event at Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters, Inc on Thursday, April 20th, representatives from both GFMI and Winston Batteries will be present to celebrate the culmination of a this project aimed at bringing this innovative prototype to production and ultimately to worldwide distribution.
In attendance were among others the Mayor of Fountain Valley, John Connors, and his Counsel Man Mike McCurdy. Winston Chung himself apologized for his absence. George Gaffoglio was explaining the history of Metalcrafters after Which Sal Caravella explained the objectives of this project. For the design our very own Cor Steenstra was hired by George to create this unique advanced design. Steenstra explained that the central driving position came about through practical logic. It allowed both for tighter cornering and would enable production of the same platform for both LHD as well as RHD markets. The advanced exterior design was slightly disrupted by the application of dark graphic patches in the silver paint, intended to emphasize the carbon fiber used to build this bus. The original video clip shows the design intent in a clear way. If you are interested on finding further information about buses then we recommend to look at these amazing type 2 vw bus parts!
Text and photos by Gabriela Gorvena Galvan.
