500th Electric Bus
Less than five years after rolling out its first fully electric bus from the production line in the UK, the BYD ADL partnership delivered its 500th vehicle this month. The Enviro400EV double decker has joined the fleet of launch customer, Go-Ahead London, which now has 20 of this emission-free model operating on routes across the capital.
According to the partnership, orders for the next 500 BYD ADL electric buses have already been confirmed with public transport operators across the UK and all will be British-built, ensuring that investment in cleaner transport benefits local communities, as well as the environment.
Go-Ahead London became the launch customer for BYD ADL in 2016 and continues to support the manufacturer’s product development. The operator is believed to be the country’s biggest operator of electric buses, including nearly half of the 500 BYD ADL electric buses delivered so far.
Commenting on Go-Ahead London’s crucial role in the deployment of electric buses in the UK,
John Trayner, the company’s Managing Director, said: “It is fitting that this significant milestone took place at Waterloo, our global award-winning all-electric bus garage. Waterloo pioneered electric bus technology in 2013 and it quickly proved reliable in the capital’s high frequency and demanding stop/start operating environment. Along with the Mayor, Transport for London and other important infrastructure partners, we are seamlessly transitioning the capital’s iconic red bus fleet to deliver a zero-emission public transport offering. Congratulations to the BYD ADL partnership on reaching 500 e-bus deliveries.”
Frank Thorpe, Managing Director of BYD UK, said: “We were delighted when Go-Ahead London embarked upon its journey towards electrification with us, and we’re even more thrilled today as we celebrate the handover of the 500th BYD ADL electric bus. It demonstrates clearly the commitment of the nation’s capital to decarbonisation with e-mobility playing an increasingly fundamental role in delivering a cleaner transport system. Operators like Go-Ahead London really are leading the charge.”
Despite the pandemic, advances in zero-emission public transport continue at pace with more operators committing to trials and orders of fully-electric buses. In addition, the UK has seen major investment from new manufacturers, such as electric vehicle start-up brand, Arrival, which will begin production of its first zero-emissions bus during 2021.
John Dwight, Sales Director of Imperial Engineering, which continues to diversify its product range in response to the needs of bus and coach operators across the country, said:
“Progress towards emission-free public transport has been given a shot in the arm by this delivery milestone of 500 electric buses. As one of the UK’s leading suppliers of OE parts and components for buses and coaches, Imperial Engineering continues to adapt and expand its product range, which will ensure we respond efficiently to changes in the operator market with the uptake of more ULEV and zero emission models.”
