The Go-Ahead Group and Zenobē have commenced construction on an electric bus charging hub at the Oxford Bus Company Cowley House depot.
Once complete, this site will be one of the largest electric bus charging facilities in the UK, equipped with 104 charging points.
The hub will be supplied by an 8 megawatt electrical connection powered by an EDF Renewables UK substation.
Each charger will provide 150kW of DC power, enabling 104 new electric buses to drive over 170 miles each day.
These vehicles are set to be delivered from the end of this year under a contract with British manufacturer, Wrightbus.
The vehicles have been co-funded by Go Ahead Group, Oxfordshire County Council and the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme.
Luke Marion, Oxford Bus Company Managing Director, said:This is another exciting step forward in our extensive infrastructure scope of works in preparation for transforming our city services to electric. Partnering with Zenobē ensures we will receive the best-in-class advice and technology to fully equip us with a market leading charging solution that meets our needs.
We’re looking forward to introducing the first tranche of electric buses later in the year, which will help improve air quality and make bus travel an even more attractive option for people to travel around Oxford.
Work on the new charging hub is the latest phase in the city’s Energy Superhub Oxford decarbonisation project.
