Switch Mobility will provide Tower Transit with twelve battery-electric Metrocity buses.
Electric vehicle manufacturer Switch Mobility will supply a fleet of 12 Metrocity E-Buses to London’s Tower Transit. The fleet of Metrocitys will be deployed on Route 339, which operates from Lea Interchange to Shadwell and Leytonstone.
Electric Bus Features
The Metrocity battery-electric bus incorporates a 250kw/h NMC battery with a lightweight monocoque platform, with a range of up to 180 miles and a charging time of fewer than three hours. Tower Transit will be the first customer to receive the updated 9.4m Metrocity, which Switch will deliver in the first quarter of 2023.
According to the company, the Metrocity EV was the first British-built, pure electric bus to enter service on London’s roads. It also can carry up to 60 passengers.
Switch Mobility Announcement
“Switch is proud to supply the most efficient electric buses in the UK, and we are delighted to be working with Tower Transit to electrify Route 339,” said Switch Mobility CEO Andy Palmer, according to Smart Transport.
“Our Metrocity product is perfectly suited to the requirements of London’s road, and passengers on this route will soon be able to travel knowing that their journey will be carbon neutral, supporting a greener planet,” Palmer added.
Switch Mobility is a joint venture between Ashok Leyland, the world’s fourth-largest bus OEM, and Optare, a UK bus manufacturer. As part of its push toward electrification and new mobility services, the commercial vehicle manufacturer has renamed its UK subsidiary, Optare Group, Switch Mobility.
Switch (then Optare) introduced the first British-built, pure electric buses to London’s roads in 2014 and has since put 300 EVs on the street.