BYD ELECTRIC BUSES FOR NOTTINGHAM

BYD is to supply 13 pure electric 12m ebuses to Nottingham City Council (NCC), along with associated charging equipment. The bus purchase has been facilitated by a £1.4m grant from the DfT Green Bus Fund. The remaining funds of £2.1m have been raised via the NCC Workplace Parking Levy. The vehicles are planned to be delivered in late 2015. BYD is providing a five year warranty on its power train components based on Iron-Phosphate battery technology. They are to arrive with a comprehensive service support package including training for drivers and maintenance engineers.

NCCs ebuses will build on the existing fleet of 45 electric buses and the tram network within the city. The Council is working in partnership across Greater Nottingham to encourage all modes of transport (buses, taxis, trams, bikes and cars) to move onto a sustainable electric platform, with more power generated locally via waste incineration and photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.

NCC Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transportation, Jane Urquhart, said, ‘As a council we are committed to providing sustainable transport solutions. More electric buses will mean reduced operating costs and deliver clear environmental and health benefits when compared to operating traditional diesel powered buses.’

MD, BYD Europe, Isbrand Ho, said, ‘This purchase order is a potential game changer for BYD. Nottingham is recognized as being at the forefront of innovative public transport solutions and has prior experience operating electric buses from other manufacturers. The fact that Nottingham City Council has now selected our ebuses after a comprehensive evaluation programme involving a variety of competitors is highly significant. We are expecting that other major operators will follow Nottingham’s lead.’

Two 12-metre long BYD K9E e-bus vehicles were supplied in 2013 for trialling in London. With fleet numbers EB1 and EB2 they were allocated to the Go-Ahead subsidiary London General, and since then have operated exclusively on the Red Arrow routes 507 (Victoria-Waterloo) and 521 (Waterloo-London Bridge).