Alexander Dennis Ltd. (ADL) and BYD Europe jointly announced their electric vehicle partnership supplied the first of 29 BYD ADL Enviro400EV double deckers to National Express West Midlands in the UK, where they are charged entirely by renewable energy and utilize a stationery battery system to balance the load on the electricity grid.

ADL is helping National Express to take its first major step towards a zero-emission bus fleet with the supply of 29 BYD ADL Enviro400EV electric double deckers.

The 35-foot buses are built to National Express’s Platinum standard, offering extra legroom for the 65 seated passengers as well as USB chargers, free Wi-Fi and other amenities. An advanced heat pump system ensures that saloon heating power is supplied efficiently from the main batteries without undue impact on operational range.

The first 19 of these zero-emission buses have now entered service in Birmingham, where the operator’s 80-year old Yardley Wood garage has been retrofitted with plug chargers for each bus along with a stationery battery, provided by Zenobe Energy, that balances the load on the grid.

Ten further vehicles will be introduced in Coventry in the autumn. The investment has been supported with a grant from the UK Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles.

The BYD ADL Enviro400EV zero emission double decker was launched just over a year ago, offering easy electrification for busy bus routes. Over 250 have been sold to date and two thirds of them are already in service in UK cities.