It is reported that over 130 zero-emission double-deck buses will be supplied by Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and BYD UK to EV fleet and battery storage specialist Zenob and bus operator National Express, with spare parts over a period of 16 years.
According to BYD’s official news, BYD will provide more than 130 zero-emission pure electric double-decker buses for the British city of Coventry, which is expected to be put into operation in 2023.
With a £140 million project, Coventry plans to replace all public buses with 100% electric buses by 2025, making the United Kingdom the first all-electric bus city in the world.
In this case, Zenob will provide National Express with Electric Transportation as a Service (ETaaS), financing and managing the complete turnkey solution, which includes new BYD ADL vehicles, on-board battery replacement, charging and grid infrastructure, a second-life battery system at the depot, unique software to optimize charging, parts, and full operational support.
Recall that BYD and Alexander Dennis announced on December 15 last year that they had delivered a total of 21 pure electric buses to two public transportation companies in Scotland.
Similarly, BYD delivered the first batch of 45 pure electric buses to Swedish bus operator Bergkvarabuss on December 12 last year and placed them into service in six cities in Skane, southern Sweden.
In the same vein, BYD had inked a purchase deal for pure electric buses with Barcelona Metropolitan Transportation Company (TMB), last year November, which will equip the city of Barcelona with 25 new-generation BYD 12-meter pure electric buses.
Reacting to the development the general manager of BYD UK, Frank Thorpe, said:
“We are honored to apply BYD’s world-leading battery and integrated power technology to this bus cooperation project. Quickly integrate resources and achieve the goal of green development of zero-emission public transportation.”
Speaking on the advantages of the double-decker buses, the Mayor of the West Midlands and Chair of the WMCA, Andy Street, said:
“These clean and green double-decker buses will not only be fantastic for passengers with their comfort and state-of-the-art technology, but it will also help in reducing air pollution and tackling the climate emergency.”