Volvo Buses has secured its first electric vehicle order from Go Ahead, the largest operator of bus services in London. The company will add 25 Volvo BZL Electric single deck buses to its fleet later this year, building on a longstanding relationship between manufacturer and operator.
They will be built to Transport for London (TfL) specifications and painted in the distinctive red paintwork which has been synonymous with London buses since the 1930s. Measuring 9.7m in length, they will offer exceptional manoeuvrability on routes within the capital.
Each MCV-bodied vehicle will be built with four traction batteries, allowing for a maximum 376kWh of energy storage – with regenerative braking helping to top this up with free and clean energy on the move. Charging will take place primarily overnight at the bus depot, via CCS 2 cable and a bank of 150kW DC chargers.
Matt Carney, CEO, Go-Ahead Bus, says: “Volvo Buses have been a staple of the Go-Ahead fleet in London for decades, and we’re excited to be introducing our first BZL Electrics into the capital. They’ll replace a mixture of older diesel and hybrid assets in our fleet, helping to further improve the sustainability of our operation.
“Placing this order with Volvo directly supports our customer-first culture, known internally as the ‘Go-Ahead Way’. Through this, we pride ourselves in selecting superior vehicles and collaborating with trusted partners to innovate and invest in the services we deliver.”
Domenico Bondi, Managing Director of Volvo Bus UK & Ireland, comments: “Securing our first Volvo BZL Electric order from Go-Ahead is another significant vote of confidence in our zero tailpipe emission range and the huge investment we’ve made in the aftersales support here in the UK to support them.”
Whilst Volvo Buses is traditionally best-known for its longer buses, the BZL Electric affords it the flexibility to offer single deck buses in lengths from 9m to 12.9m, which is quickly winning favour from fleets.
Bondi adds: “The breadth of options we can offer when it comes to vehicle lengths, energy storage and charging flexibility means customers don’t have to compromise. The BZL Electric is a proven product, being built for cities around the world, and with that comes access to maximum customer choice.”
The new Volvo BZL Electrics will be manufactured at Volvo Buses’ chassis plant in Borås, Sweden, which five years ago became the first bus chassis plant globally to be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy. It is also certified as a manufacturing site which sends zero waste to landfill.
Upon delivery into service in London, the new vehicles will be supported by a specialist Bus Field Service team within local dealer Volvo Truck and Bus Centre South & East. Comprising operations controllers, co-ordinators and frontline mobile technicians, the team works together to provide exceptional support to Volvo bus and coach customers across the region – backed by a network of modern dealerpoints.
