The Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, Val Shawcross, recently inaugurated Europe’s largest fleet of electric buses, a deployment that will benefit around 7 million people. All 51 single-deckers, measuring 12 meters each, were built in Britain as part of a partnership between BYD (electric powertrain technology and batteries) and Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL).
Also on hand in London for today’s ceremony was Wang Chuanfu, president and chairman of BYD, which is headquartered in Shenzhen, China. This southern Chinese city of 11 million people operates more than 6,000 electric buses.
The 51 buses in London will be operated by Go-Ahead London from its Waterloo garage, servicing two Transport for London (TfL) routes - 507 and 521.
The order for the BYD ADL Enviro200EV buses follows a three-year trial that proved the buses could consistently run a 16-hour shift without a recharge. The long range of these vehicles is due to BYD’s iron-phosphate battery technology and the light aluminium body manufactured by ADL in Falkirk, Scotland.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said, “It’s vital that we act now to clean-up our capital’s toxic air and do everything we can to help prevent the thousands of deaths it causes each year. I’ve set out a comprehensive plan to improve our air, and the transformation of London’s bus fleet will play a key role in making our transport cleaner and healthier. These first two electric bus routes right through the heart of London are another step towards the end of conventional diesel buses on our roads. This will deliver extensive air quality benefits and position us as a true world leader in adopting ultra low emission vehicle technology.”
TfL’s Managing Director of Surface Transport, Leon Daniels, said, “These are the first two electric routes that travel through the heart of the capital. They will mean better air quality and better journeys for customers – with less noise and vibration than traditional buses. Today is a real game-changer in the drive to green the capital’s transport network. Today is the culmination of several years of hard work and we are delighted to be here with our partners TfL, Go-Ahead and ADL inaugurating Europe’s largest electric bus fleet,” said Isbrand Ho, Managing Director of BYD Europe. “We are proud that the previous largest fleet – of 35 ebuses – was also supplied by BYD to Amsterdam Schiphol airport."
“In the UK we have a dedicated support team, a new office, a new Country Manager and will shortly be acquiring a workshop and parts store within London. We are in discussion with several potential customers for our electric buses and look forward to helping more operators and their city governments to assist in improving air quality”, he said.
The introduction of this environmentally friendly bus fleet to London will contribute towards improved air quality for its residents as the buses are estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 700 tonnes a year. This development is in line with the UK government’s initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“These world-class vehicles are a product of partnership – in collabo
