COP26-branded electric bus, powered by Chinese battery technology, starts roadshow to Glasgow

LONDON, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- A COP26-branded pure electric bus, jointly made by Chinese and UK manufacturers, started an 11-day trip from London to Glasgow on Monday. The "Road to Renewables" bus tour set off from Northumberland Park bus garage in north London, one of Europe's largest overnight charging garages for electric buses.

The vehicle used on the tour is a pure electric double-decker, built in Britain by Chinese clean energy car maker BYD, and the UK's largest bus and coach manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL). It has a range of 160 miles, meaning it could get from London to Sheffield on a single charge. It is the UK's best-selling electric double-decker bus, and one of 1,000 BYD ADL electric buses already on the road or on order.

The bus will reach Glasgow three days before the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference begins in the Scottish city. On the tour, participants will meet green engineers at a 500MW offshore windfarm at Greater Gabbard, the UK's most easterly point, as well as the businesses and local authorities driving the decarbonization of cities like Oxford and Peterborough.

A fleet of ADL-BYD's electric single-deck vehicles will serve as shuttles for delegates at the COP26 conference. Trudy Harrison, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said the bus tour launch event on Monday was "a wonderful example of the collaboration and innovation" required to reach emissions targets that came just before COP26.

The British government has recently pledged further investment to support the switch to cleaner vehicles. Paul Davies, ADL's President and Managing Director, told Xinhua that by working with BYD, one of the biggest battery companies in the world, it has been able to bring world-leading technology to the UK and fast-track zero emissions agendas for clean energy buses.

"Before BYD the bus battery technology in the UK was very immature," he explained. "China has been the starting point for new energy vehicles. We're very proud to partner with them here in the UK for electric buses."

The cooperation has been very successful, he added: the two companies have delivered 500 electric buses since 2016, and by the end of this year the number will reach 1,000, which is "incredibly fast."

Green energy buses are also playing an important role in achieving net zero (emissions) targets, by supporting thousands of skilled green jobs.

"Our British-built zero emission buses can not only reduce local air pollution and support the transition to net zero, but also help to underpin the opportunities for the bus manufacturing industry to prosper," he said.

Frank Thorpe, BYD UK Managing Director, said BYD has delivered over 68,000 eBuses around the globe. "We believe in a collaborative approach and work in partnership with organizations that share our vision. It is through these win-win collaborations with a range of local partners, that we bring our pioneering battery technology and continuously contribute to a zero-emissions future."