The bus order was placed a year ago and saw 36 of the 10.8m vehicles supplied along with 37 charging units and associated infrastructure.
The official opening of the upgraded facility took place yesterday (15 November).
Catherine Guillouard, chairwoman and CEO of RATP Group, said: “We have been looking forward to the upgrade of this depot, which very tangibly demonstrates our commitment to clean and sustainable travel. RATP Group’s aim to switch to 100% clean buses reflects our ambition to be an innovative and trusted partner of the city of London in its journey towards being a smarter and more sustainable city.”
Laurence Batlle, CEO of RATP Dev, said: “The electric buses housed at Shepherd’s Bush depot are a major step to realising a public transit system that helps improve our environment, that is demand responsive and that maximises efficiency with new technology.
“We are proud to work hand in hand with Transport for London to support the mayor’s ultra-low emissions vision for the city and to provide London residents and visitors with innovative, sustainable and inclusive mobility solutions and services.”
BYD and ADL worked with SSE on the infrastructure requirement, which included power, data cables and wiring. BYD’s Smart Charging Management System was also fitted: this features an automatic charging system, allowing all buses to be charged overnight with minimal supervision.
Frank Thorpe, BYD UK country manager, says: “This highly complex project at Shepherd’s Bush is one of the best examples so far of how the in-depth experience of BYD in electric bus operation and infrastructure installation – coupled with the input of our strategic partners such as ADL and SSE – can simplify the task of getting electric bus fleets up and running in a short time.”
Arthur Whiteside, ADL’s managing director for UK sales, adds: “We’re delighted that the electric bus partnership between ourselves and BYD continues to lead the charge in the UK.
“With over 215 BYD ADL EnviroEV buses delivered or on order, and well in excess of 1.5 million electric miles clocked up in the UK, it is clear that operators appreciate not only the vehicles we supply, but also the full infrastructure support from route analysis to site surveys which can be delivered.”
Updated 16 November 16:30