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).