The BYD Alexander Dennis Ltd. (ADL) electric bus partnership scored another major victory in being selected as preferred bidder by RATP Dev London for the latter’s order of a total of 36, 35-foot pure electric buses. Following a comprehensive technical evaluation of zero-emissions buses from a range of bus suppliers, RATP Dev London entered into a letter of intent for the procurement of BYD ADL’s Enviro200 electric vehicle.

The commercial terms for the supply of the vehicles are currently being negotiated, with contract signature due shortly, for vehicle delivery in Spring 2018.

The new buses would be based at London United’s Shepherd’s Bush garage and be deployed on two high-frequency Transport for London (TfL) bus routes. The two routes, one of which already operated by RATP Dev London, are being converted by RATP Dev London to full-electric operation following the company’s recent success in winning these routes through TfL’s tendering process.

The BYD ADL Enviro200 35-foot bus is a new model designed for more restrictive route conditions than the 51 40-foot models already in service on the London bus network. Many London streets feature sharp corners and the smaller vehicle — still capable of accommodating 76 passengers — is more appropriate for some routes. Like all ADL BYD models, the new buses will be guaranteed to complete a full day’s duty cycle without the need for recharging.

Once concluded, the new order will bring the number of ADL BYD electric buses in London to over 100, making it the largest volume of full-size electric buses in service in any major European city. The successful and long term BYD ADL partnership agreement has recently been renewed and extended to cover a broader range of exciting products meeting many UK bus model requirements.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between RATP Dev London and BYD, as prime contractor, was signed at the Guangdong Economic and Trade Co-operation Conference held in central London. BYD’s HQ is located in Shenzhen, the economic hub of Guangdong Province. At the ceremony, the MOU was signed by BYD Europe’s Managing Director Isbrand Ho and Tim Jackson, CEO of RATP Dev UK, in front of Hu Chunhua, Party Secretary for Guangdong Province.