Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds visited Oxford Bus Company's depot to find out more about electric buses.
Zenobē, the leading specialists in electric vehicle fleet and battery storage solutions, highlighted policy developments required to support the electrification of fleets and public transport, during the visit on Thursday.
Zenobē’s latest partnership with Oxford Bus Company, a subsidiary of GoAhead Group, is one step to supporting the switch to electric, installing 104 bus charging points at its Cowley depot as part of its recent rollout of the same number of electric buses later this year.
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The project aims to clean up Oxford’s air quality and provide residents with cost-effective, reliable transport.
The project is just one example of Zenobe’s work to support the transition to greener transport networks, with its state-of-the-art charging hubs to each deliver 150kw of power, providing enough electricity for every bus to drive over 170 miles per day – the equivalent of boiling 2,700 kettles continuously.
Ms Dodds said: “I am delighted to be here with Zenobē, Oxford Bus Company, and Oxford City Council to celebrate the electrification of Oxford's landmark new fleet of buses. Labour is committed to decarbonising public transport, and it is solutions like these that will make this a reality.”
Bradley Fox, Director of EV Fleet for Zenobe, said: “Our work with the likes of Go-Ahead Group, Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach is vital to helping a major city in Oxford transition to cleaner, greener forms of transport at speed. We are incredibly excited by the work we are doing to help the UK’s transition to electric, and we will continue to push for greater clarity and support for operators to make sustainable changes in their operations.”
Zenobē works with operators and local authorities across the UK to electrify bus fleets at low cost.
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It currently works with 90% of all major UK operators and has electrified over 75 depots globally, supporting over 1000 electric buses, coaches and trucks. By 2026, Zenobē aims to support 4000 electric buses, trucks and commercial vehicles.
Cowley is just the first of two major Zenobē projects in Oxfordshire, with Zenobē also breaking ground with Stagecoach West at its Network Oxford site.
Luke Marion, managing director of Oxford Bus Company, added: “It was great to welcome Anneliese to our depot and to show her the rapid progress we are making installing the charging infrastructure as part of our fast-moving plans to decarbonise our city fleet.
“We’re gradually introducing the first tranche of electric buses to our services in the city, and these will help to make bus travel an even more attractive option for people to travel around Oxford.”
Karen Coventry, commercial and marketing director at Stagecoach West, said: “We have been on our electric journey in Oxford for over 18 months now and it is always a pleasure to be able to share the experience with others."
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Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
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