First electric buses hit London’s streets

Transport for London (TfL) and bus operator Go-Ahead London have begun a trial of the capital’s first electric buses on two routes in the city. The 12-metre single deck buses were built by Chinese manufacturer BYD Auto have zero tail pipe emissions, resulting in lower carbon emissions. The trial will help TfL develop plans for greater use of electric buses in central London in the future, supporting the Mayor’s vision of a central London Ultra Low Emission Zone. The trial will be used to establish wh
December 19, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
1466 Transport for London (TfL) and bus operator Go-Ahead London have begun a trial of the capital’s first electric buses on two routes in the city.

The 12-metre single deck buses were built by Chinese manufacturer 5445 BYD Auto have zero tail pipe emissions, resulting in lower carbon emissions. The trial will help TfL develop plans for greater use of electric buses in central London in the future, supporting the Mayor’s vision of a central London Ultra Low Emission Zone.

The trial will be used to establish whether the technology can stand up to the rigours of operating in an intense urban environment such as London.  The manufacturer’s tests demonstrated a potential running cost saving of around 75 per cent compared to a diesel bus.  The buses take around four to five hours to fully charge overnight and should have a range of 250 kilometres, which would be sufficient to operate these buses for a full day on these routes without the need to recharge.

In addition to the two buses in this trial, six additional electric buses will be introduced into the TfL fleet in early 2014.  Four of the buses were secured with funding from the Department of Transport (DfT) Green Bus Fund with a further two funded from TfL’s technology demonstration budget.

Mike Weston, TfL’s Director of Buses, said: “We will be closely monitoring the performance of these vehicles while they are being trialled here in London.  Should the performance and reliability of these buses meet London’s challenging requirements, this could be a very important step towards adopting this new clean technology in the capital.”

John Trayner, Managing Director of Go-Ahead London, said: “We are delighted to be partnering TFL and BYD on this exciting new project to run the first electric buses on London's streets.”

Isbrand Ho, Managing Director of BYD Europe, said today “We are convinced that widespread adoption of the BYD ebus could have a dramatic effect on lowering pollution levels in major cities so this development in London, one of the world’s top cities, is of tremendous importance. We look forward to a long and positive relationship with Transport for London and Go-Ahead London and to further deliveries of our market leading products in London and other UK Cities.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Electric bus sector is game changer for battery market
    March 4, 2016
    According to Dr Victoria Adesanya-Aworinde, technology analyst at IDTechEx, the electric bus (e-bus) market is growing at a CAGR of 20 per cent in terms of unit sales. She says the rapid growth is a game changer for the battery market as electric buses require large-sized batteries ranging from 74 kWh (fast charging e-bus) to over 300 kWh (slow charging e-bus). IDTechEx Research forecasts that the e-bus battery market will overtake the consumer electronics sector by 2020. The new IDTechEx Research repor
    Read More
  • Conscience versus convenience
    June 8, 2015
    David Crawford looks at new ways forward for public transport. By 2025, nearly 60% of the world’s population will be living in towns and cities, increasing their extent and density, and the journeys that people make within and between them. In response, the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) wants to see public transport’s global modal share doubling (PTx2) by the same date. “Success in 2025,” a spokesperson told ITS International, “will save 170 million tonnes of oil equivalent and 550
    Read More
  • Boost to infrastructure, autonomous cars in UK budget
    March 17, 2016
    The UK chancellor announced in his spring budget what he called the biggest investment, US$87.5 billion (£61 billion), in transport infrastructure in generations and is increasing capital investment in the transport network by 50 per cent over this Parliament compared to the last. The government plans to establish the UK as a global centre for excellence in connected and autonomous vehicles by establishing a US$24.1 million (£15 million) ‘connected corridor’ from London to Dover to enable vehicles to com
    Read More
  • Driverless vehicles will cause changes in society
    May 31, 2013
    Paul Godsmark gives his views on what the advent of autonomous vehicles would mean for the wider society. Further to your article ‘Driver not required…’ in the Jan/Feb edition of ITS International which gave some great background to autonomous road vehicle (ARVs), I feel that the bigger picture is needed to aid understanding. There is a ‘technology freight train’ heading our way that is going to transform our roadways but we don’t seem to be aware of it and, therefore, are in no hurry to react.
    Read More

Highlighted Content