Electric Yutong coach begins London-Cambridge FlixBus trial
A Yutong GTe14 electric coach is being trialled on a new FlixBus service between Cambridge and London.
The FlixBus route between Cambridge city centre, Trumpington Park and Ride, London Finchley Road and Victoria Coach Station launched today (14 August 2024).
The six-week trial sees the coach operate a 124 mile round trip on the route.
The news follows the launch of England and Wales’s first electric coach service pilot, unveiled by FlixBus earlier this year.
Andreas Schorling, Managing Director of FlixBus UK, said: “Following our launch of England and Wales first electric coach service, we’re thrilled to be trialling another zero-emission service as we build the largest coach network in the country.”
Supplied by Pelican Bus and Coach, the Yutong GTe14 includes a toilet, USB charging points and free wi-fi for all customers as standard on FlixBus services, as well as being PSVAR compliant. The vehicle is expected to save 167kg of carbon emissions per day driven (based on two round trips) on this route compared to the average diesel-fuelled coach. Whippet, part of the Ascendal Group, is no stranger to electric buses, providing the Universal university bus service as well as local bus routes in Cambridgeshire.
“Whippet is delighted to be strengthening our position as early adopters of zero-emission coach technology” – Jonathan Ziebart, UK Managing Director of Ascendal
Jonathan Ziebart, UK Managing Director of Ascendal, said: “12 months after launching the UK’s first privately funded electric bus network, Whippet is delighted to be strengthening our position as early adopters of zero-emission coach technology as we launch Cambridge’s first ever battery-electric coach.”
The electric vehicle has a battery rating of 563kWh, and will be charged at Whippet’s Swavesey depot using infrastructure provided by Zenobē. Zenobē will install its telematics onto the coach to capture data on the performance of the vehicle and onboard battery. FlixBus says this information will be crucial as it develops its strategy to expand its electric coach services within its route network in the UK. Zenobē will also support with the energy required to charge the coach, focusing on implementing the optimal charging strategy.
“We look forward to analysing data such as the charging profile of the vehicle and exploring how more coaches serving long-distance routes can be supported” – Steven Meersman, Co-Founder of Zenobē
Steven Meersman, Co-Founder of Zenobē, said: “With over 1,200 electric buses globally, we bring our extensive expertise in charging infrastructure, software and telematics to this eCoach trial with FlixBus and Whippet. We look forward to analysing data such as the charging profile of the vehicle and exploring how more coaches serving long-distance routes can be supported in the UK and around the world.”
Attending the launch of the coach, Deputy Mayor for Cambridge and Peterborough, Anna Smith, said: “I want to congratulate Whippet and FlixBus on this exciting new venture. We’ve already seen the great success of electric buses in Cambridge City, but the opportunity to run electric buses and coaches over a longer journey is a real game changer. I wish the trial every success and will follow the outcomes closely.”
FlixBus was the first to bring an electric coach service to England and Wales in March 2024.
Parent company Flix, which operates in 44 countries across four continents, has piloted electric vehicles in several markets and aims to achieve carbon neutrality throughout Europe by 2040.
“Flix champions sustainable travel and we are on a mission to drive change to reduce carbon emissions not only in the UK but globally through partnerships like this one,” concluded Schorling.