And also in London, where a trial fleet of BYD double-deckers has been operating since 2015.
68 more electric double-deckers are due in London this summer, of which 37 are from ADL-BYD (ADL bus body with BYD battery/drivetrain) and 31 from British company Optare.
This has not been the experience in London which will soon have over 200 fully electric buses, most of which have BYD drivetrains. By all accounts, they have proven at least as reliable as their diesel counterparts.
This is bus technology, not rocket surgery. The BYD buses in Albuquerque had door malfunctions, cracked and missing welds, brake issues, exposed high voltage cables, etc.:
”The BYD buses in Albuquerque had door malfunctions, cracked and missing welds, brake issues, exposed high voltage cables, etc”
Much of London’s electric bus fleet uses the BYD battery & drivetrain in combination with an ADL (Alexander Dennis) bus body. These units seem to be reliable and well-regraded.
- Much milder winter temperatures. Certainly nothing like the -10F experienced in Indiana.
- Lower daily mileages. Even though London buses are operated intensively all day long, average speeds are low and a typical bus certainly wouldn’t exceed 200 miles in a day. There is plenty of buffer between what is demanded of the batteries and what they’re capable of.
Hills, hot weather and cold weather make the advertised range impossible to achieve. Despite this BYD have been successful in the rest of the world. Some purchases have been driven by politics, the results not so good. But this is how we learn.
I very much like London's hybrid buses, it is so nice compared to diesel. In a diesel bus every single thing rattles, it is like being in a washing machine. The hybrid buses are a pleasant space to be in. Full electric is an upgrade on that experience.
Anyway the article is about the Czech made Hyundai bus, competition that is good for the sector.
Electric buses struggle on hills. LA Metro found their BYD electric buses would stall on hills. BYD's response was that "Metro drove BYD’s buses on hills that were too steep":
Hyundai have a plant in the Czech Republic that produces about 1500 cars a day, but I also didn't see any indication that this bus would be produced there.
68 more electric double-deckers are due in London this summer, of which 37 are from ADL-BYD (ADL bus body with BYD battery/drivetrain) and 31 from British company Optare.