Electric buses

12 Sep 2016

The 51 new buses in London will be operated by Go-Ahead London from its Waterloo garage, servicing two Transport for London routes – 507 and 521. The order for the BYD ADL Enviro200EV buses follows a three-year trial of two BYD vehicles from the same garage and on the same routes. The trial proved the high reliability and outstanding range of the buses, powered by BYD technology, which demonstrated that they could consistently run a 16-hour shift without a recharge being necessary.

The new buses also benefit from BYD partner ADL’s stylish, lightweight aluminium body, manufactured at ADL’s plant in Falkirk, Scotland. ADL has extensive experience in designing and delivering proven, state-of-the-art, contemporary buses which improve passengers’ on board experience with amenities ranging from USB charging points and ambient lighting to comfortable seating.

Significant investment at Waterloo garage has provided 43 BYD-supplied recharging posts capable of powering 46 buses, with a further 5 charging posts being located at nearby Mandela Way depot where 5 buses are being based. BYD has worked closely with the SSE energy group and UK Power Networks on the provision of power to the charging equipment.

The BYD ADL Enviro200EV buses supplied to Go-Ahead can carry 90 passengers, 21 of them seated. They feature a regenerative braking system which feeds power from kinetic energy recovered during braking and deceleration back into the battery.

In Britain, aside from the 51 buses launched in London today, BYD is trialling the world’s first pure electric double deckers – 5 are in service with London operator Metroline on behalf of TfL and future versions will be built in partnership with ADL.

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