UK battery storage firm Zenobe is to support the launch of 34 electric buses in London as part of its £120 million EV fund.
Zenobe is collaborating with bus operator Abellio, which operates buses for Transport for London, to launch the buses in south London by March 2020.
The batteries on the buses will be owned and operated by Zenobe, with the firm also running and maintaining the charging infrastructure in the depot and funding the remainder of the buses.
The £120 million fund was announced in May, with the aim of facilitating greater electrification of transport and supporting local councils and fleet operators to potentially bring the roll-out of EVs forward by several years, Zenobe said.
The Abellio partnership is the first London partnership since the funding was announced, although two other EV schemes in Guildford and Newport are also being run by Zenobe.
The buses – manufactured by Portuguese manufacturer Caetano – will run on two routes in the city: C10 between Canada Water and Victoria Station and P5 between Patmore Estate and Elephant and Castle.
Steven Meersman, co-founder of Zenobe Energy, said: “Through our service-based model, we’re supporting the EV ambition of forward-thinking operators like Abellio, lowering both the cost and the risk.
“We hope this is the first of many opportunities like this in London and look forward to working with other commercial fleet operators in their transition to net-zero.”
Public EV charging in London also received a boost earlier this year, with the Mayor of London announcing plans for five flagship charging hubs as the city bids to have zero transport emissions by 2030.
