London, England – Transport for London (TfL) has put into service the world’s first zero-emission, long-range, all-electric BYD Double-Decker bus on revenue service routes. London’s Deputy Mayor of Environment and Energy, Matthew Pencharz has formally received the first bus from BYD Europe.
“It’s a very exciting moment that this is happening here,” says Matthew Pencharz. “The running costs are much lower and some of the maintenance and operations costs are much lower on the buses. Also, these [buses] are zero-emission, zero-tailpipe-pollution, and that is a huge benefit for Londoners.”
TfL and Metroline will receive support from BYD with the installation of fast charging equipment at Metroline’s Willesden Bus Garage in north London. Additionally, BYD will provide driver training for the bus operators. The five buses scheduled for deployment are more than 33ft long and feature air conditioning, seats for 54 passengers with space for 27 standing passengers (81 total).
“BYD is pleased to partner with Transport for London to provide these zero-emission, advanced technology buses that will help improve air quality in the greater London area and will also provide costs savings,” says Isbrand Ho. “TfL challenged us to develop a clean, all-electric bus that would meet their service requirements, and we’ve done just that. I hope other transport agencies take note of TfL’s leadership and see that there are no barriers to deploying all-electric buses into service in today’s market.”
The buses are equipped with BYD-designed and built Iron-Phosphate batteries, delivering 345kWh of power. The batteries can power the bus for more than 24 hours and up to 190 miles of typical urban driving on the service routes with a single daily recharging requiring four hours. TfL plans to charge the buses overnight using low-cost, off-peak electricity to provide additional cost savings.
Source: BYD Company Ltd.