The first Irizar ie tram electric buses were officially put into service in London on 20 November on bus route 358. This line is operated by Go-Ahead London and connects Crystal Palace and Orpington. Commissioning had been delayed for over a year. The fleet should originally have been in operation by summer 2023. The delay is due to difficulties in negotiations with interest groups and landowners regarding the installation of the required 450 kW charging stations.
The trams, which are reminiscent of trams in terms of design, are charged by inverted pantographs at both ends of the route, as route 358 is one of the longest in London at 15 miles (just over 24 kilometres). Thanks to the 450 kW charging stations, the buses can be fully charged within six minutes at the end points of the route, eliminating the need for intermediate charging stations and reducing the number of vehicles required for the timetable.
20 ie tram e-buses for Go Ahead
20 fully electric city buses, each 12 metres long, make up the Go Ahead fleet for route 358. The vehicles are designed for left-hand traffic for the first time and are also the first ie trams to be used in the UK. Irizar e-mobility also supplied the charging stations from its subsidiary Jema Energy, including the two fast charging stations with a capacity of 450 kW each at the end points of the line and two for the depot, each with 100 kW, allowing two vehicles to be charged simultaneously with 50 kW each.
The city buses are powered by the latest generation of batteries from the Irizar Group.
A video showing further details of the vehicle can be found here:
Unlike the Irizar buses in mainland Europe, the Irizar ie tram is designed in accordance with the new TFL 2024 safety standards for the protection of pedestrians (TFL = Transport of London). The city buses are equipped with the latest safety technology, such as automatic speed limiters and an acoustic warning system for pedestrians.
For Transport for London (TfL), the new fleet is a crucial step in driving forward Mayor Sadiq Khan’s commitment to create a zero-emission bus network by 2030. The buses will also support TfL’s Vision Zero initiative, which aims to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on London’s roads. Key safety features of the fleet include speed-limiting technology, safer front designs, audible warning signals for pedestrians and road users, camera surveillance and other improvements.
More ie trams for Kent
The ie trams for London are not the only e-buses of this type in the UK. Back in August, the first of a total of 28 ie trams was delivered to the North Kent Fastrack Bus Rapid Transit Network, which is also operated by Go-Ahead. 28 of these buses have already been ordered and Go-Ahead will take over the operation of the Thameside Fastrack in November for a period of 15 years. All buses are due to be in service by April 2025.
