Image by AP

This London bus looks a lot like every other London bus. But beneath its bright red exterior lurks an all-electric powertrain that makes it the first ever double-deck bus to be powered by electrons alone.


The new buses are designed to travel 180 miles on a single charge, which should mean they can cruise London’s streets all day long without a top-up. When they head back to the depot at the end of the day they’ll be plugged in and ready to go again by morning. The buses will also run silently—so Londoners better watch out for them when they’re crossing the road.

The first five buses will operate on London’s Route 98, which runs between Willesden and Russell Square, from next month. More will follow, but perhaps slowly—because each one costs a cool $500,000 to build.


[Evening Standard via Gizmodo UK]