Arriva orders 51 electric double-deckers from Volvo Buses
The bus manufacturer presented the chassis named BZL Electric in September 2021. It is designed for both single- and double-decker buses, with several options for body manufacturers and a drive train developed entirely in-house. However, Volvo Buses decided at the beginning of last year that it would no longer manufacture complete buses in Europe. About one month later, Volvo Buses announced that Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles (MCV) would produce the bodies for the electric buses.
The 51 electric buses are thus based on the Volvo chassis and will have bodies made by the Egyptian-British body specialist MCV. The platform’s centrepiece is an electric motor with a continuous output of 167 kW and a peak output of 200 kW. While a dual-motor unit with an output of up to 400 kW is also available for solo buses, only the single-motor variant is available for double-deckers. On the other hand, Volvo Buses offers battery packs with up to 470 kWh for both models. In the case of Arriva, the largest configuration was chosen.
According to the manufacturer, the platform can be charged both via cable with up to 150 kW DC and optionally via OppCharge with a maximum of 300 kW, thanks to two different hardware interfaces. It is not known how the electric buses will be charged. They could be charged at the Tottenham depot, where they will be housed. From there, they will be used on Transport for London (TfL) routes 243 and 341.
Incidentally, this is the first time Arriva has ordered electric buses based on the BZL Electric chassis. “So, we are proud and excited to be supplying Arriva London with all-electric buses in that instantly recognisable red livery. Our relationship stretches back years and our respective teams have collaborated to meet the requirements from TfL and help to reduce emissions in the capital,” said Domenico Bondi, Managing Director of Volvo Bus UK and Ireland.
“Arriva UK bus is committed to decarbonising our fleet in London, and this most recent order with Volvo builds on the millions of pounds we have already invested in creating the clean, electrified and efficient public transport networks that communities in the capital deserve,” said Marcos Hart, Managing Director of Arriva UK Bus in London.
In addition to Volvo Buses, Arrival also relies on Wrightbus as a supplier. For example, it ordered 50 electric double-deckers from the Northern Irish manufacturer at the beginning of last year. At the end of 2023, the public transport operator ordered 34 units of the double-decker variant. At the beginning of this year, Wrightbus announced it would deliver Arriva 76 electric double-deckers and eleven electric solo buses to Ariva.
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