Two new all-electric buses hit the streets of London late last year, as part of a trial to help the city's transport authority plan for greater use of the technology for short routes in the CBD.
Built by Chinese manufacturer BYD Auto Ltd., the 12-metre single-deck buses entered passenger service on routes 507 and 521 on 19 December. The buses have a range of 250km and take four to five hours, or overnight, to fully charge. Tests estimate the electric buses could save up to 75 per cent on running costs compared to a traditional diesel bus.
BYD Auto has already tested its so-called 'ebus' widely across Europe, including in Paris, Bremen, Bonn, Madrid, Barcelona, Salzburg, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Brussels and Budapest.
Mike Weston, Director of Buses at Transport for London (TfL), said in a statement: "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."
An additional six ebuses will be introduced into the TfL fleet early this year.
"Electric buses could help deliver the cleaner and greener bus fleet we need to cut carbon emissions and improve air quality," said Matthew Pencharz, Senior Environment and Energy Advisor to the Mayor of London.
"If these prove successful we plan to see more introduced over the next few years to run alongside the hybrid and hydrogen bus technology that is already tackling air pollution and carbon emissions across the Capital."
There are also currently about 600 diesel-hybrid buses currently operating on London roads, with this number expected to increase to 1700 by 2016 – representing a fifth of the total bus fleet.
The IPWEA is holding its inaugural Sustainability in Public Works Conference on 27–29 July 2014. Find out more.
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