From ringing the London Stock Exchange opening bell to BYD’s new double-decker city busses, it’s been a busy May for GoMetro in the United Kingdom’s capital.

London’s standing as a financial, innovation and transport hub is renowned. It is a city of immense opportunity for tech investment and funding, served by pioneering public transport, having dealt with significant densification challenges for decades.

As springtime peaked in the United Kingdom, GoMetro’s CEO, Justin Coetzee, experienced the financial centre and future of London’s public transport. Participating in the  AfricArena London Summit, Coetzee had the symbolic opportunity to ring the Londen Stock Exchange’s opening bell.

Ringing the FTSE opening bell wasn’t merely a novelty experience, with Coetzee allowed to address the exchange. Acknowledging the influence and opportunity of FTSE-listed companies on future innovation and start-up ecosystem success, GoMetro’s CEO spoke of how vital business engagement was, as opposed to conventional financial support.

“We don’t need your grants or investment – we need your revenue. African technology companies look to London and the financial markets of the City for growth capital.” Coetzee recognized that emerging market innovators like GoMetro benefit most from growing by the proven market demand and service engagement business cycles, instead of just supporting funding.

Meeting the new BYD

From the City’s capital centre to its public transport future. After attending the AfricArena London Summit, GoMetro’s CEO was also present at the reveal of BYD’s BD11.

Coetzee was justifiably impressed with BYD’s technology suite. “I got to meet the BYD electric double-decker – designed and built for the streets of the UK – at the London Bus Museum at Brooklands. Lighter, stronger, more range, integrated Blade battery, increased torsional strength. An incredible machine.”

The BD11 features 532kWh of installed battery capacity, of which 457kWh is usable, protecting the battery pack from extreme depth of distance and premature degrading. With a usable driving range of 640km, BYD’s double-decker easily exceeds the needs of London public transport demands, where most buses complete between 150- to 300km of routing a day.

London’s BYD busses for the future

GoMetro’s CEO lauded the incredible development trajectory of BYD’s buses. “It’s great to see bus technology advancing so quickly and steadily. Millions of zero-emission miles ahead!” True to its reputation and ranking as the world’s largest EV company, BYD’s engineers have optimized the benefits of a battery-powered design with the double-decker bus.

Without a conventional engine, gearbox or fuel tanks, these busses have excellent space utilization for their size and remarkable agility. The BYD BD11’s hub motors allow it to steer at extreme angles, creating an incredible 8m turning radius, allowing drivers to confidently operate in even the narrowest bits of London’s road infrastructure.

Data science for battery busses

Recharging is challenging for many public or heavy transport vehicles using battery power instead of liquid fuel, but the DB11 is configured to rapidly repower its batteries.

BYD’s double-decker bus can connect to a high-capacity pantograph charger from above, with its electrical architecture capable of recharging from a 500kW source. Conventional charging ports are integrated, too, for recharging from standard public and depot charging stations.

Data is graded as the new gold, which also applies to battery technology. Optimizing battery health with data-rich intelligent software is crucial to making powerful battery-powered buses like the DB11 operate to their best decarbonizing potential.

Deep data insights can enhance battery performance by managing cooling, heating and discharging to create better longevity for battery cells. That logic also applies to charging, where smarter recharging strategies, factoring battery capacity, route demands and turnaround schedules, can extend battery life and prevent cell damage.

As a specialist in advanced logistical and fleet telematics, GoMetro appreciates the potential and importance of silent, zero emissions City of London public transport. It’s a rewarding time to be working in advanced road logistics, transport and passenger transit systems, with the power of data insights guiding better decisions to create a sustainable battery-powered bus and truck future.