Northern Ireland-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus has announced a 25 million GBP investment to develop next-generation electric and hydrogen vehicles.
This move was welcomed by UK Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle during a visit to the company’s headquarters in Ballymena. He praised Wrightbus as a model for how investment in innovation can drive economic growth, support local jobs, and accelerate decarbonisation.
The investment is expected to create dozens of skilled jobs in Northern Ireland and across the UK, while enabling Wrightbus to maintain its position as the UK’s fastest-growing zero-emission bus manufacturer.
Science Secretary Peter Kyle said:Investing in innovation is central to our Plan for Change, but public investment alone is not enough to ensure British businesses remain at the cutting edge of global industries. Wrightbus is proof that businesses backing R&D deliver real-world impact – for both the company themselves and the local region - creating new high-quality jobs, strengthening supply chains across sectors and delivering the new industries of the future.
The 25 million GBP R&D package includes:
- 10 million GBP to develop the next generation of the Wrightbus StreetDeck Electroliner, a high-efficiency electric double-decker capable of travelling up to 200 miles on a single charge and recharging in 2.5 hours
- 5 million GBP for the UK’s first hydrogen-powered coach, expected within 18 months, with a range of up to 1,000km on a single refuel
- 5 million GBP to expand vehicle testing using the UK’s most advanced proving grounds, ensuring global benchmarks for reliability, durability, and safety
- 5 million GBP for a state-of-the-art telematics system, designed to provide real-time performance monitoring and AI-based predictive maintenance to reduce operator costs and improve efficiency
Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales said:It was a pleasure to showcase our R&D progress to the Secretary of State. This investment represents our largest amount ever into research and development and it underlines our ambition to continue be one of the very best zero-emission manufacturers in the
UK and Europe. Innovation has played a key part in the rapid growth of Wrightbus and is one of the major things that has allowed us to switch from having a 95% diesel bus output to a 95% zero emission bus output in less than 5 years.
The research projects we’re currently funding, including the development of our hydrogen coach, the further enhancement of the world-leading Electroliner bus, and our telematics system, will allow us to continue to push zero-emission transport boundaries and represents a huge boost for manufacturing in Northern Ireland and the wider UK.
This announcement comes as Wrightbus passes a significant milestone of 50 million zero-emission miles, avoiding over 85,000 tonnes of CO₂ compared to diesel equivalents. The company’s supply chain spans 47 UK counties and key European markets, supporting thousands of jobs. It continues to build on landmark deals such as its 500 million GBP contract with Go-Ahead in 2023, which created 500 new jobs in Ballymena and supports around 7,500 across the UK.
