Chinese automotive manufacturer BYD officially launched 51 new single decker electric buses on Friday, which it said would be Europe's biggest all-electric bus fleet so far, saving London 700 metric tons of CO2 emissions a year.

The new fleet was launched after BYD's initial supply of two electric buses to London three years ago proved a success in reliability and consistency in running a 16-hour shift without a recharge being necessary.

London's deputy mayor Val Shawcross, who looks after the city's transport, attended the launch ceremony.