600 electric London buses recalled amid fire risks linked to heating systems onboard

600 electric London buses have been recalled by a safety watchdog due to a critical fire risk identified in the vehicles' air conditioning and heating systems.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has warned operators who use the Alexander Dennis Enviro200 and Enviro400 single and double decker buses of the critical safety issue. It means that vehicles could catch fire if left unattended.

There are almost 2,000 of these buses across the UK, including 600 in London.

All of the affected vehicles were manufactured between May 3, 2019 and February 6, 2024. They all contain batteries supplied by Chinese firm BYD. 

The alert was issued following a scare on board one of the buses and covers 1758 buses.

At present, there is no permanent solution to prevent future fires. Instead, operators using the high-tech buses are warned to “switch off the Hipsacold HVAC system when the vehicle is left unattended”.

A spokesperson for Alexander Dennis told LondonWorld: “Following an incident earlier this year, Alexander Dennis, BYD and other relevant parties have identified that there is a potential issue relating to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system supplied by Hispacold for some BYD–Alexander Dennis electric buses.

 “The investigation is still ongoing and the root cause has not yet been identified. As the safety of our customers’ team members, bus drivers and passengers is of the utmost importance to us, a safety bulletin has been issued to all affected operators with temporary precautionary measures to ensure the highest levels of safety are met.

 “Further updates will be provided to operators on conclusion of the investigation by Alexander Dennis, BYD and impacted suppliers, in consultation with the DVSA, when we expect to provide a permanent fix to resolve the issue.

 “As far as is currently known, the issue does not directly affect core driveline components such as electric motors or traction batteries. Neither is there currently any suggestion that the issue is linked to other bus fires that recently received media attention as these involved different vehicle types and technologies.”

Glynn Barton, TfL's Chief Operating Officer, said: "Safety is our top priority and we have put a number of measures in place to ensure that London's bus network remains safe to use, following a notice issued by the manufacturers of this model of bus that has informed the DVSA notice. This model of bus is safe to remain in service and the operators are following the DVSA’s and manufacturer's advice and guidance, which includes remedial measures that have been implemented, while we work with an independent engineer to assess next steps."

A DVSA spokesperson said: “DVSA’s priority is to ensure everyone can travel in safe vehicles.

 "The manufacturer has identified issues with the heating system unit, rather than the battery or propulsion system, and we are working with them to ensure the defect is dealt with swiftly and in the best possible way to ensure it meets the relevant statutory safety standards."