ADL FORGES AHEAD WITH MULTI- MILLION PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Britain has the potential to lead the world with low emission buses that meet the challenge of climate change head-on. Colin Robertson, CEO of Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) said that early hybrid vehicles produced by his company had now been running in London operations for 20 months, covering almost 600,000 miles. On average, they have consistently recorded fuel and CO2 reductions of around 35% and demonstrated their reliability by being available for service virtually 100% of the time.
ADL will continue to offer a full range of electric-hybrid options, including midi, single deck and double deck variants – and he confirmed continuation of ADL’s joint development partnership with BAE Systems.
The recent introduction of 26 ADL Enviro400H double decks into service in Oxford represents the first phase of a £16 million investment by Stagecoach in a total of 56 hybrid double decks. A further 30 will be launched in Manchester later this year.
All 56 vehicles are ADL electric-hybrids and are part-funded by the government’s Green Bus Fund, which has been introduced to kick-start the purchase of low emission hybrid and electric buses. ADL won the lion’s share of the initial Green Bus Fund and now has around 120 electric-hybrids in the production pipeline. Meanwhile, ADL works on the development of the next generation hybrids, like the Futura, investing millions of pounds in this project. It is also intended for marketing on the European continent.
