Coventry rolls out first 50 of 300 buses in plan to become UK’s first all-electric bus city
A £150 million project to create the UK’s first all-electric bus city by 2025 has taken a major step forward with 50 new electric buses now on the streets of Coventry.
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has been working with Coventry City Council on the scheme and has secured £50 million Department for Transport funding to develop charging infrastructure and to top up the investment being made by bus operators in upgrading their fleets with electric vehicles.
This will include upgrades such as charge points at bus depots across Coventry and Warwickshire.
The 50 new National Express Coventry double-decker buses are the first of up to 300 new vehicles due to arrive over the next three years under the ‘Coventry’s Electric’ programme.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said, “Local people are now starting to see these wonderful buses on the streets of Coventry - offering them a quieter, smoother and more comfortable journey.
“As we seek to tackle the climate emergency and maintain our 2041 net zero commitment, these British made buses are saving energy, cutting fuel costs for operators and improving our air quality.
“I cannot wait to see even more electric buses arriving in the next few years as Coventry becomes a truly all-electric bus city.”
Tom Stables, CEO National Express UK, added, “Our vision is to become the UK’s most sustainable bus and coach company and it’s been great to see this month’s COP27 putting a real focus on how businesses can play their part in addressing climate change.
“More people using public transport has significant benefits for society including safer roads, increased access to opportunities, reduced congestion, improved air quality and more space in our cities.
Cllr Jim O’Boyle, Coventry City Council’s cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change, said, “We put the bid together and convinced the government that Coventry is the right place to become an all-electric bus city.
“Hitting a milestone of 50 new all-electric vehicles is fantastic and the city is really gearing up to creating the right infrastructure for the increase in zero emission vehicles.
“A quarter of the council’s fleet are now all electric, and we have 607 charging points in the city – more than any other city outside of London.
“This is all part of our joint efforts to help lead on the green industrial revolution and cut our carbon footprint. There are a number of partners involved and it highlights the excellent joint working relations between the different organisations involved.”
For instance charging and grid infrastructure is provided by EV fleet and battery storage specialist Zenobē to National Express as an end-to-end Electric Transport-as-a-Service (ETaaS) solution. This includes on-board replacement batteries, the charging and grid infrastructure system at the depot, with dedicated rapid chargers, and a software platform which helps monitor and optimise energy use, as well as parts and operational support.
The buses produce zero carbon emissions at the tailpipe and are powered by renewable ‘green’ energy thanks to solar panels, and a second-life battery installed at the depot by Zenobē. They take four hours to charge and can run for up to 280 km depending on the time of year.