Municipal operator Reading Buses has put into service 24 Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV battery-electric double-deckers that will be used on its busy purple 17 and claret 21 routes.
The buses are fitted with the heavy-duty variant of the Driventic Vehicle Electrical Drive System (VEDS), with high-performance batteries storing up to 472kWh of energy.
A full charge will comfortably last all day, with 13 fast chargers fitted at Reading Buses’ Great Knollys Street depot, each capable of charging two buses at once.
The buses’ interiors include social seating, LED mood lighting, high-back seats with USB chargers, two wheelchair bays, and audio-visual next-stop information.
The 24 new buses have been funded by the second round of the UK Government’s Zero-Emission Regional Bus Areas scheme (ZEBRA 2), in partnership with Reading Borough Council.
Reading Buses has ordered a further eight Enviro400EV double-deckers, to go into service on the yellow 26 route in the near future.
The next-generation Enviro400EV is tested to Zemo Partnership standards in the UK Bus Cycle, and offers energy throughput of 1.6GWh over eight years.
Robert Williams, Reading Buses Chief Executive Officer, said, “I am beyond excited to be launching our first ever battery-electric buses at Reading Buses.
“More importantly than being zero emission, they are expected to bring a significant improvement in journey quality for our customers, with a smooth ride and rattle free high-quality interior designed to boost patronage with as few compromises to accommodate the technology as possible.”
Mark Taylor, Sales Manager for Alexander Dennis, said, “Reading Buses has an enviable reputation as an operator, especially in terms of their standards of customer experience, and over the years they have often been the springboard for Alexander Dennis’s next-generation vehicles.”
