National Express first to trial GTe14

National Express is to be the first UK scheduled coach operator in the country to trial Yutong’s new GTe14 tri-axle battery-electric coach.

Working in partnership with Yutong, the operator is to launch the newest, biggest and most spacious electric coach available in the UK into service next week following a period of driver training and familiarisation. It follows a trial in 2020 where National Express tested Yutong’s smaller TCe12 model on their A9 service between Stansted and Stratford.

During the four-week trial period the GTe14 battery-electric coach will operate on National Express’s high-frequency airport routes between Stansted Airport and London. The real-world trial is to give the company an insight into the vehicle, alongside the charging technology, in a real-world operating environment while gathering feedback from both drivers and customers.

In livery designed by National Express, the coach has LED mood lighting, leather reclining seats, air conditioning, onboard charging and a generous luggage allowance. Yutong’s latest GTe14 model stands at 13,970mm long, 2,487mm wide and 3,900mm tall and has 53 seats plus a wheelchair space with a mid-door lift for access, as well as a mid-positioned toilet.

Powered by a 140kW charger with electricity from renewable sources at Stansted Airport, the battery-electric coach will run up to 21 hours a day with top-up charging during scheduled stop times in between departures at Stansted Airport, and a longer charging period at the end of each day.

Yutong’s GTe14 coach incorporates battery packs with a capacity of 563kWh, which is designed to offer an estimated range of between 250 and 300 miles.

Coaches operating on National Express airport routes between Stansted and London complete on average 139.8k miles each year. GTe14 battery-electric coaches on the same routes could save up to 160 tonnes of CO2e each year, according to National Express calculations, and are therefore expected to save 13.3 tonnes of CO2e during the four-week trial.

“We are grateful to Yutong for allowing us to be the first UK scheduled coach operator to trial the newest state-of-the-art battery-electric coach” – Tom Berry, Zero Emissions Vehicle Specialist for Mobico Group

Tom Berry, Zero Emissions Vehicle Specialist for Mobico Group (parent company of National Express), said: “As the UK’s largest coach operator, we know National Express’s scale and ambition can help drive innovation in the coach market as we work towards our goal of having a UK coach fleet that produces zero emissions at the tailpipe.

“We are grateful to Yutong for allowing us to be the first UK scheduled coach operator to trial the newest state-of-the-art battery-electric coach, and we’re looking forward to testing the GTe14 model on our high-frequency services between Stansted Airport and London over the coming weeks.”

“Pelican’s continued investment in the UK coaching industry is evidenced by this launch of our new GTe14 tri-axle electric coach” – Ian Downie, Head of Yutong UK

Ian Downie, Head of Yutong UK, said: “With over 180,000 zero tailpipe emission vehicles in service around the world, the Yutong product is tried, tested and proven. Our vehicles have completed over 24.9 billion miles in service.

“Pelican’s continued investment in the UK coaching industry is evidenced by this launch of our new GTe14 tri-axle electric coach, which is heading to National Express as the first operator to trial the vehicle in service over the coming weeks. The GTe14 joins the two-axle TCe12 as the only zero tailpipe emission coaches available in the UK.”

• B&CB has been out on the road in the new Yutong GTe14. Look out for our coverage in the next issue