The world’s largest biogas-powered bus fleet in Nottingham, UK, will welcome additional buses. The buses are due to be taken to the road soon, taking the total fleet up to 120 vehicles.
Nottingham City Transport (NCT) first introduced 53 biogas buses in 2017, supported by funding from the UK Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). With an individual driving range of 250 miles, the biogas-powered buses deliver economic and environmental benefits, including reduced exhaust emissions and savings on refuelling compared to conventional fuels.
“We introduced the world’s largest fleet of biogas double-decker buses with 53 put into operation in 2017 and 2018, and by the end of the year, we will soon be running 120 of them. We need a range of 250 miles per day between fuelling in order to have every bus capable of completing every duty, and an electric double-decker could not achieve that on a single charge,” said Gary Mason, engineering director at NCT.
“Compared to a diesel equivalent, these buses are cheaper to run. They perform in the same way as conventional diesel bus [buses] in terms of short refuelling times, long range and ease of maintenance, but the fuel is more cost-effective. Environmentally, they are also making a significant impact.”
The city’s original fleet of 53 buses has saved over 84% in CO2 emissions per year and the buses meet the Euro 6 standard required to go into Nottingham city centre by January 2020. However, according to Mason, the city would like to take its efforts a step further from clean to green.
“By green, we mean that we are reducing our carbon footprint to come as close to carbon neutral as possible and by using compressed biomethane, we can achieve the lowest standard of carbon dioxide emissions that is currently achievable,” added Gary.
In addition, the British Compressed Gases Association has produced a new behind-the-scenes video on the fleet, which features managing director David Rix. Rix explains the work involved in the project and the day-to-day operation to maintain the smooth running of the buses.
