Croydon’s first pure electric ‘emission free’ buses hit the streets

Transport for London (TfL), Arriva and UK bus manufacturer Optare have introduced the latest electric buses to the capital’s fleet. The two Optare MetroCity buses are now in service in Croydon on a route is used by around 4,700 passengers a day. The buses are the latest addition to Europe’s greenest bus fleet and will increase TfL’s experience and understanding of this relatively new technology. The buses have zero tail pipe emissions at point of use, resulting in lower overall carbon emissions.
December 11, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

1466 Transport for London (TfL), 476 Arriva and UK bus manufacturer Optare have introduced the latest electric buses to the capital’s fleet. The two Optare MetroCity buses are now in service in Croydon on a route is used by around 4,700 passengers a day.

The buses are the latest addition to Europe’s greenest bus fleet and will increase TfL’s experience and understanding of this relatively new technology.  The buses have zero tail pipe emissions at point of use, resulting in lower overall carbon emissions.  

The use of the electric buses will establish whether the technology can stand up to the rigours of operating in an intense urban environment such as London.  The manufacturer’s tests demonstrate that while the initial capital cost of these vehicles is more than that of standard diesel, the significantly lower running and maintenance costs would offset this within the typical lifetime of the vehicle.  

The buses take around five hours to fully charge overnight, or two hours using fast charge technology, and have a range of up to 100 miles depending on operating conditions.

Mike Weston, TfL’s Director of Buses, said: “We now have a total of eight pure electric buses in the capital’s fleet which will help increase our experience and understanding of this technology.  London has always been at the forefront of adopting and trialling new green technology and these buses are a welcome addition to the fleet."

Related Content

  • August 1, 2014
    TfL to trial new bus sensor technology
    Transport for London (TfL) is to trial detection software to enhance bus driver awareness of pedestrians and cyclists. The six-week trial will start later this month as part of a continued drive to improve road safety in the capital. Four buses will be fitted with brand new pedestrian and cyclist detection software which directly alerts bus drivers when pedestrians and cyclists are moving close to their vehicles, helping to reduce collisions. TfL is trialling two systems, CycleEye from Fusion Processi
    Read More
  • October 10, 2012
    Wireless charging project could change perceptions of electric vehicles
    A two-year pilot project has begun in London with taxi firm Addison Lee and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Renault, which uses the principle of magnetic induction to jump electricity from a base station direct to the vehicle’s battery to deliver wireless charging. The charging technology being used is called Halo and has been developed by mobile innovations company Qualcomm, the organisation responsible for processors powering the latest generation of smartphones and tablets. ‘EV drivers will opt for th
    Read More
  • February 2, 2012
    Carbon finance delivers critical support to mass transit schemes
    David Crawford investigates carbon finance in transport. World Bank carbon finance grants are delivering critical support to major mass transit deployments in emerging and developing economies. Only recently operative in the transport sector, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM, see panel) is designed to generate additional income streams and improve internal rates of return on projects funded from public- and private-sector sources.
    Read More
  • September 2, 2013
    Zero emission delivery vehicle project begins in Houston
    The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) has teamed up with the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) and Smith Electric Vehicles Corporation to reduce vehicle emissions from delivery trucks in the region. As part of a US Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored effort, local fleets will replace existing diesel delivery vehicles with thirty all-electric medium and heavy-duty Smith Newton trucks for daily operations in the Houston-Galveston area.
    Read More

Highlighted Content