BYD unveils new single-deck electric and production ‘decker
BD11 in TfL spec with centre door
BYD has unveiled an all-new single-deck electric bus and a production version of the BD11 ‘decker it revealed in prototype at the London Bus Museum at Brooklands.
The 12-metre B12 single-deck uses the same chassis-integrated LFP Blade battery and twin ‘hairpin’ hub motors as the BD11 to achieve a range of as much as 310 miles per charge. In TfL centre-door specification, it can carry 74 passengers, and 93 in single-door guise. The company claims energy efficiency of 98.1%.
Key to both buses’ efficiency is the integrated control units, which packs all the electronics into a single unit, which not only saves weight but makes the unit easily swappable in the event of failure. The hairpin motors eliminate the need for a central differential so reduce noise, and have a boost mode for faster acceleration on steep inclines.
BD12 features a full range of passive safety devices including AEBS, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and Alcolock. It has integrated HVAC based on a heat pump unit. The vehicle is built in China.
BD11 lower deck
The BD11 is now in production for London and is believed to have been ordered already by a number of operators. The production vehicle can accommodate 90 passengers. Its LFP battery has structural strength and, for this reason, reduces the vehicle’s weight by 10% compared to conventional batteries. The batteries can be charged from 0-100% in under two hours. The GVW is 19.5t
Both vehicles will have electronic updates and fixes ‘over the air’ and an oil-free driveline which removes service items.
Frank Thorpe, Managing Director, BYD UK Commercial Vehicles, said: “Introducing our all-new fully electric BYD BD11 Double Deck bus to the UK marks an important moment for BYD in the country and in the very important public transport arena. BYD is proud to contribute 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. We look forward to the vehicle going into service in London, showcasing the deployment of our industry-leading technology in the mass transit sector.”