- BYD revealed its new all-electric double-decker bus, the BYD BD11, in London this week.
- Painted in the synonymous London bus red, BYD is setting its sights on the BD11 being the bus of choice in London – and across the UK, too.
- With a 532kWh Blade battery pack, the BD11 is set to travel at least 400 miles on a single charge.
Will the BD11 be the new electric bus for London?
BYD has already played a part in electrifying London’s public transport, with its partnership with Alexander Dennis leading to over 500 fully-electric buses operated by Go-Ahead on the capital’s streets. However, in this new model, BYD is going alone, with the BD11 set to be shipped straight from China at a cost of around £400,000 – approximately £100,000 cheaper than its competitors.
This initial BD11 model is designed specifically for the streets of London – with two methods of charging, a conventional cable, and also a pantograph system, it will be able to take full advantage of the charging infrastructure Transport for London has already put in place – and be able to reach a full charge from 0% in just two hours. However, BD11 models with different specifications for bus operators outside the capital are also on their way. Batteries are set to be modular, so operators can pick a capacity that suits their needs, but an impressive potential range of at least 400 miles on the 532kWh pack should bode well, making electric buses viable on long-distance routes.
The reveal is another boost to the UK’s growing electric bus fleet, which registered the most electric buses in all of Europe last, alongside the UK government recently announcing £143m worth of investment to bring another 1,000 electric buses onto the country’s roads.
Frank Thorpe, Managing Director at BYD UK Commercial Vehicles, commented:
“We are proud to launch our own all-new electric double decker bus with highly innovative, world-leading technology for safe and reliable electric mobility, providing operators with modern eco-friendly eBus options that meet their specifications, thus providing more people the choice to use clean, non-polluting bus services in the future.”
