Irizar UK expands bus team as it focuses on e-mobility
Irizar is to expand its UK bus team with the appointment of Shaun Millar and Gradyn Thompson. They join Strategic Advisor Mike Weston.
Mike Weston, previously the Director of Buses at TfL, is providing strategic support to Irizar. Shaun Millar has been appointed as Business Development Manager – Bus at Irizar UK’s e-mobility division. He has previously worked at large OEM coach and bus manufacturers. Gradyn Thompson is Technical Support Manager – Bus. He has been working in the PCV industry for over 40 years, including positions at Nottingham City Transport and Bus Vannin.
Irizar offers a range of all-electric city buses, including an electric articulated ‘road tram’, which is designed to embody many of the advantages of an urban light-rail system without requiring the installation of dedicated infrastructure.
Speaking to Bus & Coach Buyer, Steve O’Neill, Irizar UK Director, said: “Obviously this is an area we are going to take forward. We already have electric buses, with three in the market: two in Go-Ahead in London and one demonstrator touring the country.
“We are going to target key projects with our products, which range from a 10.8m bus to an 18m road tram. We want to be more of a solution provider rather than just a vehicle supplier. We are more adaptable to larger projects; we have two to three different configurations for electric vehicles, meaning customers do not have to work with two or three different vehicle suppliers to get the right mix of vehicles for a large project.”
Commenting on what timescale there is for rolling out its e-mobility scheme further, Steve said: “Ultimately, we could take an order today, with deliveries made in the first quarter of next year. But we know what trends and what opportunities are available, and we believe we could start delivering vehicles mid to late next year.
“One of the key things is we are not expecting to become the predominant player. We are not expecting to put batches of 200 electric buses into London. We see ourselves as the premium European choice in electric buses, with a higher quality.”