London’s Route 94 Gets An Upgrade With 29 New Electric Double-Decker Buses From BYD
An arterial bus route in West London is going fully electric as transit operator RATP Dev subsidiary London United took delivery of 29 fully electric BYD double-decker buses built by BYD partner Alexander Dennis Limited. The new BYD ADL Enviro400EV double-decker buses maintain the iconic look of West London, just without the emissions.
“Today, we have 234 BYD ADL electric buses operating in the capital – we’re delivering a cleaner London,” said Frank Thorpe, Managing Director at BYD (UK), “RATP Dev is one of the city’s main Transport for London operators, and a 29-vehicle delivery is not only a ringing endorsement for emissions-free mobility for the people of London, but also for the BYD ADL partnership and its combination of world-renowned electro-mobility technology and British manufacturing ingenuity.”
The 29 electric buses will serve London’s Route 94, bringing clean air and a significant reduction in noise pollution to one of London’s busiest thoroughfares. Being a 24-hour route, the significant reduction in noise will be a nice improvement to residents along the route as domination of the airwaves at night is passed from their combustion-powered predecessors back to the crickets, larks, frogs, and deviants.
The BYD electric buses going into service in London are powered by 382kWh iron-phosphate batteries known for their longevity and stability. BYD was founded on the promise of this chemistry by founder Wang Chuanfu and has spent almost all of the last 3 decades perfecting it. Iron-phosphate is preferred to lithium-ion as it uses no cobalt and is not prone to thermal runaway, thanks to its impressive stability in all manner of hot and cold weather.
Catherine Chardon, Managing Director of RATP Dev London, said at a launch event last week that, “These new buses will support TfL and London’s strategy for a greener city. It is the second step in our garage network electrification strategy.”
The 29 new vehicles were put into service last week with RATP Dev subsidiary London United. The new 10.9-meter-long (35.7 feet) BYD buses had an almost impossible standard to live up to as they replace some of London’s most iconic red double-decker buses.
This new delivery brings the total number of BYD-ADL buses delivered to 269. That represents nearly 300 fewer buses belching out life threatening exhaust in the heart of one of the busiest cities in the world.
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