Build Your Dreams (BYD) UK and Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) have partnered to supply the UK with BYD ADL Enviro400EV zero-emission double decker buses. The five new electric buses will be used by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and bus operator First Bus for the new Stourton Park & Ride service in Leeds.
ADL is a subsidiary of leading independent global bus manufacturer New Flyer Industries Incorporated (NFI), while BYD is a Chinese-owned global leader in batteries, energy management and electric mobility.
Paul Soubry, NFI CEO, said: “NFI is pleased to provide these electric buses to drive zero-emission mobility for the Stourton Park & Ride. These new zero-emission double decker buses take less than 15 minutes to smoothly and quietly deliver motorists from the site at the M621 motorway to the heart of Leeds city centre.”
The site at Stourton is the first solar-powered Park & Ride in the UK. It is also the third Park & Ride site in Leeds. The electric buses are owned and operated by First West Yorkshire under contract with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, who secured funding from the Department for Transport’s Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme.
The Park & Ride boasts 45 solar panels that cover the size of 18 tennis courts and generate the capacity to power the entire site’s electrical needs via an innovative battery storage system.
Other features of the new Park & Ride site include 26 fast electric vehicle charging ports and four rapid chargers totalling 30 electric vehicle (EV) charging spaces, along with secure bicycle storage and 1,200 vehicle spaces.
It’s great to see local authorities using zero-emission electric buses and encouraging people to use Park & Ride schemes. This helps to reduce city-centre traffic and allows electric car drivers to charge their cars while they work or shop.
