First BYD electric bus order outside London

 Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and BYD say they have won their first electric bus order outside London.
The order comes as Merseyside operator, Arriva North West, has pitched in with a bid for 12 of the BYD ADL Enviro200 EV model 12m buses for service on the City Centre Circular Routes 26 and 27, known as The Belt.

The partnership claims it is “well advanced” on the delivery of 51 12m single decker buses to Go-Ahead London.

The new order follows a joint bid under the Government’s OLEF scheme by Arriva North West (Merseyside) and Merseytravel.

The new buses, to be delivered by mid-2017, will provide an “intensive service” from the Liverpool One bus station. The vehicles will be based at Arriva’s Green Lane bus depot in Liverpool.

Eight BYD chargers are being installed in the depot and the garage as the buses are expected to cover 150 to 190 miles a day and will be charged overnight.

In line with all BYD ADL joint products, the new buses in Merseyside are designed to operate a full day’s duty cycle on a single charge, without the need for intrusive ‘top up charging’ during the working day and enjoy the benefit of lower cost off peak electricity.

BYD claims its ADL solution ensures that operators do not have to purchase additional buses beyond the number of their current diesel fleet in order to maintain service on the route due to the outstanding battery capacity and range.

The BYD ADL Enviro200EVs being supplied to Arriva will feature a provincial specification with the addition of 38 seats – a mix of Esteban Civic V3 and ADL designed units. There is space for another 32 standing passengers and there are USB charging points throughout the bus.

Arthur Whiteside, managing director – UK sales at ADL, which is prime contractor on the order, said: “This is a significant breakthrough for us and our partner BYD. It’s the first joint order from outside London and opens the door to a range of provincial cities wishing to upgrade their bus fleets to pure electric, emissions free standard. The Enviro200EV provides a stylish, cost effective and proven bus to meet their needs”.

Frank Thorpe, BYD’s UK country manager, added: “We are delighted to be part of this significant order along with our partners ADL. Merseyside is pointing the way for other British cities wishing to tackle their air quality issues through pollution free city centre buses. We look forward to more such orders”.

BYD Auto Co., Ltd. is a China-based automotive manufacturer based in Xi’an, in Shaanxi Province. It is a subsidiary of BYD Company and was founded in 2003, following BYD Company's acquisition of Tsinchuan Automobile Company in 2002.

BYD’s principal activity is the design, development, manufacture and distribution of passenger cars and buses sold under the BYD brand. It also has a 50:50 joint venture with Daimler AG known as Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co., Ltd., which develops and manufactures luxury electric cars sold under the Denza brand.