Leicester City Council has ordered 13 Yutong E12 battery-electric buses from dealership Pelican Bus and Coach. They will convert the city’s three park-and-ride services to zero-emission and will be operated by Roberts Travel Group of Hugglescote.
Entry into service will be in early 2021. The investment will also deliver an increase in frequencies on the park-and-ride services. Overall, it is predicted that the upgrade will remove 700,000 car miles per year from urban roads in the city.
Money from Leicester City Council’s successful bid to the Transforming Cities Fund has been put towards the purchase of the buses. Yutong was chosen after a comprehensive tendering exercise that considered criteria such as battery life, the overall commercial proposition, performance and warranty coverage.
Each bus will carry 422kW/h of stored energy in water-cooled batteries that will be charged via DC. Air-conditioning is fitted to the E12 as standard.
Says Ian Downie, Head of Yutong Bus UK: “We are delighted to receive the award from Leicester City Council. Its exacting criteria for a proven zero-emission bus, with detailed compliance with its vehicle and aftermarket specification, was met by our product and the team at Pelican Bus and Coach.
“There are over 103,000 Yutong zero-emission electric vehicles in operation globally. We look forward to adding the Leicester buses to that number.”
The order from Leicester City Council is the fifth to be placed by UK operators for Yutong battery-electric buses. Other confirmed customers are Go North East, First West Yorkshire, McGill’s Buses and Newport Bus.
