In partnership with Whippet and Zenobē, FlixBus is launching a 100% electric long-distance coach service between Cambridge and London.
The Yutong GTe14 electric vehicle will carry FlixBus passengers between Cambridge city centre, Trumpington Park and Ride, London Finchley Road and Victoria Coach Station from 14 August. This route spans almost 200 kilometres (124 miles).
The coach, provided by Pelican Yutong, offers the most up-to-date zero-emission vehicle technology. It will be trialled on the FlixBus route for a six-week period.
This follows the launch of England and Wales’s first electric coach service pilot between London, Bristol and Newport earlier this year.
Andreas Schorling, Managing Director of FlixBus UK said:Following our launch of England and Wales's first electric coach service, we’re thrilled to be trialling another zero-emission service as we build the largest coach network in the country.
Compared to an average diesel-fuelled coach, the electric vehicle is expected to save 167kg of carbon emissions each day, completing two round trips of the London-Cambridge route.
The vehicle is equipped with a toilet, USB charging points and free WiFi. It is also PSVAR-compliant to support passengers in wheelchairs.
The model has a battery rating of 563kWh and will be charged at Whippet’s Swavesey depot using infrastructure provided by Zenobē. Zenobē will also implement a strategy to help optimally charge the vehicle.
In addition, Zenobē will install its telematics onto the coach to capture performance and battery data. This information will help inform FlixBus’ strategy for expanding its electric coach services across the UK.
Steven Meersman, Co-Founder of Zenobē said:With over 1,200 electric buses globally, we bring our extensive expertise in charging infrastructure, software and telematics to this eCoach trial with FlixBus and Whippet. We look forward to analysing data such as the charging profile of the vehicle and exploring how more coaches serving long-distance routes can be supported in the UK and around the world.
