Stagecoach London electric Enviro400EV
Deployment of zero-emission buses in London has gathered great pace over the past 18 months and will no doubt continue on that trajectory, although whether all of these vehicles are replacing diesel buses on a 1:1 basis or if slightly more zero-emission examples are required to mitigate range limitations isn't immediately clear.
In the battery-electric double-deck field, the BYD ADL Enviro400EV has thus far dominated, with a few batches of Switch Mobility (formerly Optare) Metrodecker EVs also in use. The Enviro400EV's position is already under major threat from the Wrightbus StreetDeck EV - with a vastly superior maximum battery capacity - and a pending new battery-electric model produced entirely by Alexander Dennis itself, which - it is claimed - will be offered alongside the E400EV. The UK Yutong importer has also long promised a double-decker.
The E400EV's Achilles heel is the seating arrangement at the back of the lower deck, which is very poor owing to the positioning of the drive axle. The StreetDeck EV, at least, does not suffer from that. Here Stagecoach London 14171 (LG71 DSU) departs North Greenwich bound for Erith on a 180 journey. Like an increasing number of new buses, it has rear-view cameras in place of conventional mirrors.
Stagecoach London electric Enviro400EV
Deployment of zero-emission buses in London has gathered great pace over the past 18 months and will no doubt continue on that trajectory, although whether all of these vehicles are replacing diesel buses on a 1:1 basis or if slightly more zero-emission examples are required to mitigate range limitations isn't immediately clear.
In the battery-electric double-deck field, the BYD ADL Enviro400EV has thus far dominated, with a few batches of Switch Mobility (formerly Optare) Metrodecker EVs also in use. The Enviro400EV's position is already under major threat from the Wrightbus StreetDeck EV - with a vastly superior maximum battery capacity - and a pending new battery-electric model produced entirely by Alexander Dennis itself, which - it is claimed - will be offered alongside the E400EV. The UK Yutong importer has also long promised a double-decker.
The E400EV's Achilles heel is the seating arrangement at the back of the lower deck, which is very poor owing to the positioning of the drive axle. The StreetDeck EV, at least, does not suffer from that. Here Stagecoach London 14171 (LG71 DSU) departs North Greenwich bound for Erith on a 180 journey. Like an increasing number of new buses, it has rear-view cameras in place of conventional mirrors.