ADL and BYD win Merseyside tender
Alexander Dennis Ltd’s (ADL’s) and BYD’s electric bus building partnership has won its first order outside the capital. Merseyside operator, Arriva North West, has ordered 12 of the BYD ADL Enviro200 EV 12m electric buses for service on the City Centre Circular Routes 26 and 27, known as The Belt. The announcement comes as 51 12m single deckers are being delivered to Go-Ahead London. The order follows a joint bid under the Government’s OLEV scheme by Arriva North West (Merseyside) and Merseytravel. The new buses, expected to be delivered by mid-2017, will provide an intensive service from the Liverpool One bus station and be based at Arriva’s Green Lane bus depot in Liverpool where eight BYD chargers are being installed.
The buses are expected to cover 150 to 190 miles per 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 one charge of lower cost off peak electricity, without the need for ‘top up charging’ during the working day. The Arriva vehicles will feature a provincial specification with 38 seats, a mix of Esteban Civic V3 and ADL designed units, space for 32 standees and USB charging points throughout.
MD, UK Sales at ADL, Arthur Whiteside, 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.’
BYD’s UK Country Manager, Frank Thorpe, said, ‘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 has also announced that it has won a contract to supply eleven of its own vehicles to Capetown, South Africa.