London’s ultra-iconic double decker bus is going 100% electric, the city’s Mayor Boris Johnson announced earlier this week. The bus built by Chinese car and battery manufacturer BYD will enter into service from October on Route 16, travelling from northwest London to Victoria Station. It will be the world’s first purposely-designed electric double decker bus,
London’s ultra-iconic double decker bus is going 100% electric, the city’s Mayor Boris Johnson announced earlier this week. The bus built by Chinese car and battery manufacturer BYD will enter into service from October on Route 16, travelling from northwest London to Victoria Station. It will be the world’s first purposely-designed electric double decker bus, according to Transport for London (TfL), the body overseeing the metropolis’ transport system.
Single decker electric buses have been travelling the Capital’s streets since 2013. New Routemaster buses, futuristic redesigns of one of London’s symbols, are diesel-electric hybrid double deckers and have been in circulation since 2012. Up to now, however “Many believed that a pure electric double deck bus would not be possible due to the size of the battery packs required to power it”, a statement from the Mayor’s Office declared. Yet, BYD’s batteries are light enough to power a double decker, which, in the case of the Routemaster, weighs around 12 tonnes.
The announcement was made at the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group’s summit, which was held at London’s City Hall. The C40 network connects 75 cities worldwide to collaborate in their efforts in reducing climate change. At this year’s summit, the tenth, 24 cities committed to putting 40,000 low-emission buses on their roads. Apart from introducing the new electric double decker bus route, the Mayor’s Office also made known that inductive charging will be tested so that the buses may recharge wirelessly when stationed over charging spots.
Introducing electric double deckers means reducing the city’s emissions, which are no small matter. According to recent research, London’s Oxford Street may be one of the most polluted roads globally. To tackle air contamination, the world’s first ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) will be introduced in the megalopolis.
From September 2020 all vehicles transiting in the zone, which corresponds to the current Congestion Charging zone covering Central London, will have to comply with new European standards for the emission of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM10/PM2.5), or pay a fine. Which, given the strength of the pound sterling and London’s costliness, will hardly be chip change.
The eternal British eccentric, Mayor Johnson, declared himself satisfied that, as a cyclist, he will no longer have to travel behind “throbbing, belching machines that emit their fumes like wounded war-elephants”, referring to conventional diesel-powered buses. We’re equally as ecstatic that London souvenirs of the future will feature electric double deckers instead of elephantine relics of a polluted past.
Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
Just as fires often give way to new growth, after the Dieselgate scandal, which saw Volkswagen cheating on US emission rules, the German car manufacturer radically changed course, beginning to focus on sustainable mobility. The German car company aims to propose thirty zero-emission models and produce at least one million battery electric vehicles by 2025. An ambitious mission
Germany made the first step towards banning petrol and diesel-fuelled vehicles. If the federal resolution is passed into law, starting from 2030 only electric cars will be allowed on the country’s streets.
Oslo no longer wants to deal with cars. After the main political parties have reached an agreement to ban the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2025, the municipality of Norway’s capital has launched a new campaign against cars. The aim is to ban all cars from the city centre by 2019. Hybrid and electric
Unveiled in Berlin by Alstom, this sustainable hydrogen-powered train that produces zero emissions will replace diesel-burning ones.
The prototype was developed by two Palestinian 23-year-old students, who self-funded. The car reaches a speed of up to 30 km/h.
Commercial vehicles produced before 1997 won’t be allowed in the streets of Paris. The measure, which will come into force on 1 July, is intended to reduce air pollution in the French capital.
When it was (re)born in 2014, the Koreans intended for it to become the anti-Mini. Square, weird, original. For it to stand out. Then the Kia Soul’s journey changed. After the petrol and diesel versions (which are still on the market), the electric conversion is here. The Soul Eco Electric easily rid itself of fossil fuels,
This is the first step of the Dutch Government to ban selling diesel and petrol cars in the country. Is the era of the internal combustion engine over?
When levels of pollutants cannot be lowered, limits are relaxed. This is what happened at the European Parliament on 3 February. MEPs voted for implementing emission tests on cars’ Real Driving Emissions (RDE) that will lead to the cut down of cars’ maximum emission values. However, it’s all about giving car manufacturers
