NCT orders first electric buses
Nottingham City Transport (NCT) is investing £34m in electric buses.
The operator has appointed Zenobē Energy as the delivery partner for the electrification of 78 buses. The EV fleet and battery storage specialist will supply the charging infrastructure to Trent Bridge Bus Garage. It will provide the charging infrastructure for the site, as well as managing construction, delivery and implementation of its charging software, working to optimise the fleet and run an efficient service for the operator. The infrastructure will allow NCT to extend the electric fleet in future.
Pelican Bus & Coach will deliver the first 12 fully zero-emission electric buses to join the NCT fleet, which are expected to enter service in late 2023. The 12.2m buses will have free wifi and USB charging points onboard.
“Following a rigorous public procurement process and operational trials of several electric buses, Yutong Bus & Coach and Zenobē were a clear winner to deliver our first electric buses” – Liam O’Brien, NCT’s Head of Engineering
Liam O’Brien, NCT’s Head of Engineering, said: “Following a rigorous public procurement process and operational trials of several electric buses, Yutong Bus & Coach and Zenobē were a clear winner to deliver our first electric buses. The buses are superior in terms of space and comfort for passengers and have air conditioning as standard. With the software and charging service provided by Zenobē, the buses can do a full days’ operation on a single, overnight, charge, which is essential for ensuring we can keep them all on the road throughout the day, providing a better, cleaner service for our customers.”
“The vehicles will be fully completed at our family-owned dealership in Castleford” – Ian Downie, Head of Yutong UK at Pelican Bus and Coach
Ian Downie, Head of Yutong UK at Pelican Bus and Coach, said: “We are absolutely delighted and honoured to have been awarded this contract to work in partnership with NCT. The vehicles will be fully completed at our family-owned dealership in Castleford, and we look forward to supporting Nottingham on their zero-emission journey.”
“Working across the public and private sector is essential to scaling emissions faster, and we’re looking forward to delivering a greener service to the city” – Steven Meersman, Co-Founder and Director at Zenobē
Steven Meersman, Co-Founder and Director at Zenobē, said: “We’re thrilled to be delivering our first infrastructure in Nottingham and to be working in collaboration with Nottingham City Transport. We know that bringing 78 buses to the local area will have a huge impact on emissions and bring the City of Nottingham closer to its ambition of being carbon neutral by 2028. We are proud to be a part of this project. Working across the public and private sector is essential to scaling emissions faster, and we’re looking forward to delivering a greener service to the city.”
The £34m project is being supported with £15.2m from the DfT’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) Fund.