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| The front design looks familiar.... |
Go Ahead London buys 51 all-electric single deck buses manufactured by Alexander Dennis and BYD at a cost of £19 million.
Press release from BYD and Alexander Dennis
BYD and ADL partner to supply Go-Ahead London with capital's first, pure electric bus fleet
BYD, the world’s largest maker of pure electric buses - and Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), Europe’s fastest growing bus and coach builder - have formed a powerful new alliance and confirmed a £19 million deal today that will see the introduction of London’s first large-scale, zero-emission, single deck bus fleet. This will also be the single largest fleet of full size electric buses in Europe.
The move follows confirmation by Go-Ahead London that they are to introduce 51 emission-free, pure electric buses on routes 507 and 521, which operate between Waterloo and Victoria.
The vehicles will be built on BYD chassis and powered by BYD’s technology-leading electric drivetrain. All 51 buses will be bodied by ADL, incorporating their market-leading Enviro200-like midi bus design. The Enviro200 is the world’s best-selling midi bus and renowned for its lightweight, easy access, manoeuvrability and fuel efficiency.
Go-Ahead London said today that it expects to introduce all 51 of the revolutionary new vehicles into service by August 27, 2016, signalling the introduction of London’s first, large-scale pure electric bus fleet. The move follows an announcement from Transport for London (TfL) earlier this month that it would electrify central London routes 507 and 521 as part of its drive to make all of its single deck buses emission-free by 2020. The new deal, worth £19 million, includes a full on-site repair and maintenance programme for the term of the contract and combines the strengths of ADL’s Enviro200 12m single deck (with 18,000 units sold worldwide) and BYD’s own design of Iron-Phosphate Battery technology and drivetrain system. The latter has been proven to deliver outstanding range and reliability in multiple international markets, covering millions of kilometres of passenger-carrying service.
The decision by the two manufacturers to collaborate on this first fleet is a significant step. It brings together the proven, safe and long range capabilities of BYD’s pure electric buses (the company has 3,500 in service worldwide) with the outstanding and high quality vehicle design and UK build capability of ADL. The resulting vehicles,capable of carrying up to 90 passengers, will offer Londoners some of the most advanced zero emission buses in the world and provide opportunities for the two partner bus builders to work together in the future for the benefit of other bus operators, their passengers and the wider community.
Both BYD and ADL see this latest development as a major step towards bus operations in the UK and around the world making a bold statement and major contribution on which to base clean air initiatives.
Isbrand Ho, Managing Director of BYD Europe, said: “Working together with our partners and friends at ADL we can provide a truly optimised blend of expertise. Our deep experience of not only battery technology but the critical battery management systems and driveline components necessary to deliver unequalled range and reliability are matched to ADL’s strong track record in building low weight, attractive and durable buses. This combination will deliver a unique vehicle which we believe will have a strong appeal in London and elsewhere in the UK”.
Colin Robertson, CEO of ADL, commented: “Technology is at the forefront of everything we do and this unique alliance with BYD represents a quantum leap into the future. Our combined strengths and, critically, the unified aftermarket support we are putting in place to support Go-Ahead London in the long-term, represents a fundamental of our combined business philosophy. The backing of Go-Ahead – in the form of this £19m contract – is a huge confidence booster and we are delighted to have emerged alongside BYD as the preferred bidder in what was a highly competitive process involving a raft of global competitors. I see this new initiative as a major turning point for ADL and our new technology partner, BYD.”
Richard Harrington, Engineering Director of Go-Ahead London, commented: “We are delighted to have placed this order with BYD and have every confidence that along with ADL they will deliver exactly what they promise, that is, the world’s most advanced, zero-emission, pure electric bus fleet – and one that will match the rigorous demands of the London operating environment. Go-Ahead is constantly striving to stay at the forefront of technology and to make a major contribution in the reduction of emissions and pollutants. This is a considerable step towards a cleaner, greener London bus fleet.”
The press release revealed that the cost for all 51 single deck electric buses is £19 million. Compare it to the New Routemaster at the low rate price of £349,500 (from the 200 extra buses which TFL ordered), which would have totalled up to £17,824,500 for 51 New Routemasters. The only difference is that the newly ordered single deck electric buses are zero emission and they do not have diesel engines.
This is one step for TFL to convert the Central London single deck routes to zero emission electric buses. There are many single deck routes in Central London to convert the routes to zero emission buses. This is also a target for TFL’s Ultra Low Emission Zone.
Alexander Dennis and BYD are building electric buses for Go Ahead London for use on routes 507 and 521. The joint manufacture should build an all-electric double deck with an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC body. It will make the design more stylish than the body which BYD built.
Hopefully once the double deck electric bus enters into service in London, it will be interesting as TFL may decide to roll more out once it becomes successful. This is one way to tackle climate change and diesel emissions from diesel powered vehicles including hybrid vehicles.
The front design of the Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC looks similar to the New Routemaster because of the headlight on the right. London Buses route 499 is currently served by the Euro 6 diesel Enviro200 MMC which is brought by Stagecoach London.
If you want to know more about the electric bus project in London, the links to my previous articles are below:
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