Alexander Dennis Limited, a subsidiary of bus and coach manufacturer NFI Group Inc., has received the first order from London operator Stagecoach for 41 next-generation electric buses. Stagecoach will receive 24 Enviro100EV small buses and 17 Enviro400EV double-deckers in early 2025 for routes operated on behalf of the British capital’s transport authority Transport for London (TfL).
These Alexander Dennis buses meet the latest iterations of TfL’s Bus Safety Standard. The company was the first manufacturer to receive a positive result from independent impact testing of the buses’ revised front geometry, which protects vulnerable road users and improves direct vision for drivers.
The next-generation Enviro400EV is 10.5 meters (34.5 feet) long and can accommodate up to 62 seated passengers. The Enviro100EV “big small bus” fits TfL’s smallest class of single-deckers, providing 21 seats in vehicle that can navigate narrow residential streets thanks to its short 8.5-meter (28.9-foot) length and narrow 2.35-meter (7.7-foot) width.
With benchmark energy efficiency of 0.67 kWh/km over the UK Bus Cycle for the Enviro400EV and 0.54 kWh/km for the Enviro100EV, plus class-leading warrantable energy throughput of up to 1.6 GWh and 1.2 GWh, respectively, these Alexander Dennis electric buses have been designed to go further for longer at lower cost of ownership.
“This new order further confirms the incredible success of our next-generation vehicle platform, which we’ve designed in-house from the ground up to drive value for the U.K. bus industry through efficiency, longevity and flexibility,” says Ben Werth, Group Sales and Business Development manager, Alexander Dennis. “Before the first London-specification demonstrators have even hit the road, orders are in place from Stagecoach as the group recognizes our next-generation buses’ potential to deliver outstanding total cost of ownership with an electric drive system that could last two full TfL route contract terms without a need for battery replacement.”
“London has the largest zero-emission bus fleet in Western Europe, with more than 1,400 buses, and we look forward to welcoming these 41 new Alexander Dennis electric buses on our routes,” adds Nick Owen, director of buses at TfL. “When the entire fleet is zero-emission, we will have saved around five million tons of carbon. These new zero-emission buses all comply with our Bus Safety Standards for safer journeys for all road users and will also support vital jobs across the U.K. in various stages of their production.”