The order, from Merseyside operator Arriva North West, is for 12 of the BYD ADL Enviro200 EV 12-metre buses, and follows a joint bid by the operator and Merseytravel.
The buses are expected to cover 150 to 190 miles per day and will be charged overnight. In line with all BYD ADL joint products, the buses are designed to operate a full day’s duty cycle on one charge, without the need for top-up charging – so reaping the benefit of lower cost off-peak electricity.
Arthur Whiteside, ADL’s head of UK sales, says: “This is a significant breakthrough for us and our partner BYD. It’s the first joint order from outside London and opens the door to a range of provincial cities wishing to upgrade their bus fleets to pure electric, emissions-free standard.”
The ADL-BYD partnership is said to be “well advanced” on its first order for 51 12-metre single deckers to Go-Ahead London.