Nottingham City Transport [NCT] has ordered its first electric single deck buses as part of investment with £34 million. NCT has appointed Zenobē Energy as the delivery partner for the electrification of 78 of its buses, which will supply the charging infrastructure to Nottingham’s historic Trent Bridge Bus Garage, which housed horse-drawn and electric trams back when it opened in 1901.
Zenobē Energy has worked with 90% of the major bus companies in the UK, and in addition to providing the charging infrastructure for the site, they will also be managing the construction, delivery and implementation of its charging software. Thiey say this will allow for a more efficient service for the operator, and the infrastructure will allow NCT to extend the electric fleet in future.
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.
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"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."
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. These vehicles are manufactured by Yutong, who are the world's largest bus and coach manufacturer, who have delivered more than 133,000 zero emission vehicles.
These buses will be fully accessible and will feature full electric air-conditioning, have free Wi-Fi and USB charging points on board, and provide a quiet travelling experience with no engine vibration or noise. 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."
Ian Downie, Head of Yutong UK at Pelican Bus and Coach added: "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."
NCT's electric bus project will save 3,800 tonnes of CO2e every year once it is fully delivered. Over the lifetime of these buses, NCT will also make a significant contribution to wider efforts to improve air quality, with an estimated 31 tonnes of harmful NOx and 777kg of PM2.5 removed from the atmosphere.
Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways, Transport and Parks, Councillor Audra Wynter, said: “These new state of the art electric buses are fantastic news for Nottingham. Getting more people using greener public transport is a key part in tackling the twin emergencies of toxic air pollution and climate breakdown.
"These electric buses will help Nottingham to reach our carbon neutral 2028 goals while getting people around the city quickly and easily as part of our award-winning bus network.” This £34m project is being supported with £15.2m from the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) Fund.
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