London’s first electric bus manufactured by Portuguese bus maker Caetano, the 10.7m e.City Gold models that feature a low floor and zero-emission heating will be operating on south London routes P5 and C10.
The buses also comply with TfL’s Bus Safety Standard specification, and feature camera monitoring systems to replace traditional wing mirrors, intelligent speed assist, acoustic vehicle alert system and a revised front design to improve pedestrian/vulnerable road user safety.
They have been acquired with support from Zenobe Energy, which owns and operates the batteries on the bus, and operates and maintains the charging infrastructure in the depot.
Zenobe says that it is the first example of an end-to-end, fully-funded and -managed service with private capital.
Tony Wilson, managing director of Abellio London Bus, said: “At Abellio, we continuously look for new, sustainable solutions to improve our services. Working with Zenobe has allowed us to do so in a way that is not only good for TfL, bus customers and the environment, but is also cost-effective. The battery storage solution at our depot helps us ensure we can deliver reliable services, while also improving air quality for local people every day.”