The Yutong E12 has successfully completed operations on two routes in Oxford, the 3A and 6, over the past two weeks.
The vehicle was placed on demonstration to gain further understanding of the capabilities and benefits fully zero emission vehicles could bring into Oxford and the surrounding area.
Key decision makers on the potential Zero Emission Zone for Oxford took a ride on the vehicle and were impressed by the technology and quiet ride.
The feedback from customers and drivers was extremely positive, with many commenting upon the enhanced passenger experience, as well as the associated environmental benefits, says Yutong
Phil Southall, Oxford Bus Company MD says: “Oxford is predominately a double-deck city, and our mix of city and rural routes dictate that the range required for a bus to run in service all day without a recharge is over 250 miles.
“The Yutong E12 surpassed our expectations, completing over 14 hours, 140 mile plus service with energy capacity to spare, providing a potential distance of 180 miles on a single overnight charge.
“The feedback from all stakeholders was very encouraging and is a great start on our journey towards zero.
“The challenge to Yutong is to develop the product further to meet and surpass the operational requirements of Oxford.”
Ian Downie. Pelican’s Head of Yutong Bus says: “With over 23,000 full electric buses sold to customers in 2017, Yutong is the world’s leaders in electric buses.
“The feedback from Oxford has been invaluable, and the next generation of batteries with enhanced capacity are now available.
“Our demonstrator has travelled over 40,000km with 12 different operators with no issues, and provides fully zero emission performance with fast, DC overnight charging.”
