Newport Transport has partnered with Equipmake to repower a fleet of eight double-decker buses in Newport, South Wales with electric drivetrain technology.
Under this contract, five diesel ADL Enviro400 and three hybrid Volvo B5LHs with Wrightbus Gemini bodies will be converted to electric power using Equipmake’s Zero-Emission Drivetrain (ZED) technology.
The Enviro400 models will be equipped with 382kWh of battery capacity, providing a 150-mile range for use on school and public services.
Meanwhile, the B5LHs will have 218kWh of energy storage, offering a 90-mile range for operations on school routes.
Ian Foley, Equipmake CEO, said:We’re delighted to partner with Newport Transport, another forward-thinking operator who sees the huge benefits of repowering. It’s rewarding to see that our sustainable solution will be used to reduce emissions on school routes throughout the Newport area. Repowering existing buses offers operators an excellent opportunity to achieve their zero-emission targets, while making significant cost savings in parallel.
These models will join 49 electric buses and coaches already operated by Newport Transport.
By choosing to repower existing buses, the operator hopes to achieve cost and environmental benefits.
Repowering an existing bus chassis and body can save 90 tonnes of embedded CO2 compared to producing new electric double-decker buses. Each conversion also costs less than half of a new electric bus.
Scott Pearson, Managing Director, Newport Transport said:This partnership with Equipmake is an obvious next step for us as we continuously reduce the emissions of our operations. Its state-of-art technology is cost-effective and environmentally sustainable. We are hugely excited to begin the conversion of these eight buses and see them on the roads of the local area. Our school routes are a vital element of our service, transporting hundreds of students each day. These buses will continue to serve an important community purpose, but with the added benefit of doing so emission-free.
