ENC Enters Medium-Duty Shuttle Market With Purpose-Built Zavir Concept

ENC is expanding beyond its traditional heavy-duty bus business, unveiling a new brand called Zavir that will focus on purpose-built electric shuttles. The concept made its debut at the American Public Transportation Association expo in Chicago, signaling the company’s intent to move into the medium-duty segment.

The Zavir lineup is planned in both low-floor and high-floor configurations, each measuring 22 feet long and 8 feet wide. The vehicles will seat up to 18 passengers with additional standing room, and accessibility is built in through either a lift or a ramp for wheelchair users. Buyers will have two propulsion choices: a battery-electric setup offering roughly 150 miles of range with 200 kW charging capability, or a range-extender option pairing a gasoline generator with the electric drive for more than 450 miles of operation.

What separates Zavir from much of the competition is its clean-sheet approach. Most shuttles in this size class begin life as a van or cutaway chassis, with a passenger body added afterward by a second-stage manufacturer. ENC instead designed the structure, drivetrain, accessibility features and interior as a single integrated package, betting that operators running shuttle and paratransit routes will value a vehicle engineered from the ground up for their needs.

“For fifty years, ENC has built heavy-duty buses that agencies count on. ZAVIR is how we put that experience to work in new segments and give the market more of what it is asking for,” said Jason Lee, Chief Executive of ENC. He added that the concept offers an early look at the company’s direction, noting that as public transportation demands evolve and call for right-sized vehicles, ENC is evolving what operators can order across its family of products.

The move places ENC, a Rivaz subsidiary, into the medium-duty space alongside its existing diesel, hybrid and electric city buses. Zavir will draw on the same engineering teams and supplier network as those established bus lines. Production is targeted for 2028 at the company’s Jurupa Valley plant, following federal testing scheduled for 2027 and reservations opening late that same year.