Four British-built electric buses hit the streets of London

Credit: Transport For London/Charged EVs

Battery prices continue to fall, but purchase prices of electric vehicles (EVs) are still higher than for comparable internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE). On the other side of the balance sheet, running costs are much lower.

Fuel cost: typically, charging an EV is about one third of the cost of fuel for an ICE to cover the same distance.

Maintenance: Think about the cost of having an ICE vehicle serviced. Most of the cost — labour & material (engine oil, spark plugs, air & oil filters) — is related to the engine.

With 100+ years of development, a state-of-the-art ICE is a masterpiece of engineering. But it's fundamental shortcomings remain: Inefficiency is fundamental to an engine based on compression & expansion of burning gasses. Hundreds of moving parts grinding away at one another; pistons attached to a crankshaft are fundamentally unbalanced.

An electric motor, on the other hand has one moving part, is easily balanced & requires essentially no maintenance.

Health: ICEs emit a range of chemicals harmful to human health, plus particulate matter. Particulate matter from ICE exhausts causes asthma. If you live in an industrialised country, you are suffering from measureable, low-level, carbon monoxide poisoning.

http://chargedevs.com/newswire/four-british-built-electric-buses-hit-the-streets-of-london/ / British built pure electric bus buses into service London MetroCity single-deck single deck buses manufactured Optare Hinduja Group North Yorkshire trial basis route H98 Hayes Hounslow manufacturer test tests initial cost vehicles legacy diesel buses significantly lower running maintenance costs typical lifetime vehicle five hours fully charge overnight 15.2 kW on‐board on board charger 50 kW off-board fast charge technology range of up to 100 miles small diesel-fueled diesel fueled heater winter months more efficient battery capacity heating Optare buses Mayor’s plan central London zero emission zero-emission 2020 electric buses operating hybrid bus fleet ABB Volvo partnership bus fast charging Mike Weston Transport Director of Buses pure electric vehicles technology results trials new clean technology Gopichand Hinduja Hinduja Group Optare’s MetroCity electric vehicle manufacturing excellence technology innovation zero-emissions solution improve air quality in London Europe worldwide /