TfL will retrofit four bus stops in east London for inductive charging, which will give the buses more juice on their routes and lessen the need for fuel-based travel. In addition to the Enviro400H E400 hybrid buses that will be part of this trial, London has a half-dozen pure battery-electric buses in operations.
London Mayor Boris Johnson has long been pushing for his city to be at the forefront of advanced-powertrain technology for its public transportation. London has about 800 hybrid buses, and looks to double that number within the next two years. Johnson has also been an advocate for Ecotive and Frazer-Nash and their development of a plug-in taxi vehicle standard. Those companies’ Metrocab is said to get about 75 miles per gallon and can go 350 miles on a full tank and full charge. The Metrocab is in its trial stage.
