- London’s electricity distributor, UK Power Networks, has announced a £4 million investment to build a new 4.5 MW connection at Arriva’s bus depot in Thornton Heath, London, to add to the capital’s electric bus fleet.
- Funding came through UK Power Network’s own Green Recovery Fund, which has already helped deliver public EV chargers in the region.
- The installation will allow the depot to continue adopting electric buses, with 109 more electric buses set to be run from the site, following the connection.
London’s electric bus fleet passes a key milestone
The 109 new electric buses set to be ran from the site as a result of this investment will help boost the number of fully-electric buses on London’s streets even further, with the announcement coinciding with London passing over 1,600 electric buses in its fleet, out of the approximate 9,000 buses within Transport for London’s network.
Arriva’s Thornton Heath isn’t the only depot set to dramatically expand its grid connection to support more electric buses, with Stagecoach’s Lea Interchange depot, in East London, set to expand its 6 MW connection to 9 MW, to support 263 electric buses, as reported by Bloomberg. The addition of BYD’s new electric bus, designed for London, should also help boost that 1,600 figure across London further. TfL is working towards a goal of a 100% fully-electric bus fleet by 2034, whilst pushing for investment from government to bring this forward to 2030.
Nick Owen, Director of Buses at Transport for London, commented:
“London’s red buses are iconic and the fleet is one of the greenest in the world, with lower CO2 emissions per passenger kilometres compared to other global cities like New York, Paris and Vancouver. With more than 1,500 zero emission vehicles on London’s roads, our programme of decarbonising the capital’s buses is playing a crucial role in the journey to Net Zero. Zero emission buses help Londoners breathe cleaner air and reduce the impact of road transport on our environment,
Investment into the electricity network and securing power at all bus garages is vital to ensure the transition and operation of zero emission buses in London. Their smooth, quiet journeys and innovative features aren’t just helping reduce the effects of climate change and improving air quality – they are also making our city better for everyone by offering a great alternative to the car when getting around town.”
