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500TH UK ADL-BYD E-BUS DELIVERED

UK OPERATOR Go-Ahead London has received its latest e-bus - and the 500th delivery within five years - from the ADL-BYD bus partnership, the companies jointly announced recently.

The zero-emission double-decker has joined the fleet of the partnership’s launch customer Go-Ahead London, as orders for the next 500 ADL-BYD electric buses for public transport operators across the UK – expected to be delivered within the next 12 months – have already been confirmed, they state.

BYD is a global leader in batteries, energy management and electric mobility, while ADL is a subsidiary of leading independent global bus manufacturer NFI Group Inc. (NFI), they explain.

Both ADL and BYD, “…combine their strengths to offer reliable and cost-effective electric buses for operators in the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand.”

Having entered a partnership agreement in October, 2015, the partnership delivered its first buses the following summer. Its electric buses for the UK and Ireland are built in Britain ensuring that, “…investment in cleaner transport benefits communities across the country, as well as the environment,” the companies state.

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WORKING CLOSELY

This 500th e-bus – and Enviro400EV double-decker – is one of 20 units that have joined the Go-Ahead London fleet for Transport for London along Route 69 between Walthamstow and Canning Town.

Go-Ahead London has worked closely with the ADL-BYD partnership since its inception becoming its launch customer in 2016 and continuing to support product development with its operational experience, the companies state.

The very first ADL-BYD electric bus – an Enviro200EV single decker – joined the handover of the 500th as the manufacturers paid tribute to Go-Ahead London’s crucial role in the deployment of electric buses in the UK, they say.

This has made Go-Ahead the UK’s biggest operator of electric buses, including nearly half of the 500 ADL-BYD electric buses delivered thus far, they confirm.

BYD UK managing director Frank Thorpe said: “We were delighted in 2015 when Go-Ahead London embarked upon their 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’s a very significant milestone – and not only for the BYD ADL partnership.

“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 for millions of people. “Operators like Go-Ahead London, with the BYD ADL partnership in support, really are leading the charge,” Thorpe said.

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WINNING COMBINATION

ADL UK sales director Martin Brailey said: “As we prepare to transition chassis assembly to our UK facilities to deliver a product fully built in Britain, the BYD ADL partnership’s winning combination of class-leading technology and design expertise continues to set the standard for electric buses.”

“This has been made possible by our customers, and none more so than Go-Ahead London, who were the first outside China to convert an entire depot to electric operation with the launch order five years ago and who continue to challenge us to deliver ongoing innovation,” said Brailey.

Go-Ahead London managing director John Trayner added: “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,” Trayner stated.

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FIRM ORDERS

Go-Ahead London’s engineering director Richard Harrington said: “We know that our people enjoy driving and maintaining what was, until relatively recently, a new technology.”

“Go-Ahead London has a proud history of innovation and as our buses switch from diesel to other technologies, our experience as the UK’s largest e-bus operator – with over 200 BYD ADL electric vehicles in service – will prove invaluable.”

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Photography: courtesy ADL UK

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