Zenobē will deliver 20 electric, open-top buses and the associated charging infrastructure for the London sightseeing company.
The EV fleet solutions provider will finance e-buses for Big Bus Tours. This will be Zenobē’s first retrofit project and it will also provide a power purchase agreement (PPA) to enable Big Bus to be proactive with its energy costs.
Big Bus currently uses 10-year-old diesel-powered buses, which will be repowered with a 328kWh LG Chem Battery and powertrain, by Equipmake Limited.
Steven Meersman, founder of Zenobē, said: “We are working with Big Bus and Equipmake to deliver cleaner transport for London – one of the world’s most visited cities. Research shows travellers are increasingly looking for ways to reduce their impact when on holiday, and leading operators like Big Bus have recognised that going electric is not just the right thing to do, but also a competitive advantage. We’re excited to explore more opportunities like this to speed up decarbonisation of the transport sector in the UK.”
Zenobē has installed 10 temporary direct current (DC) chargers at Big Bus’ Wimbledon depot, enabling the sightseeing company to get the newly retrofitted fleet on the roads ahead of the summer season – before upgrades to the local electricity grid are complete.
The tenth bus from the first round of retrofitting has just entered service and a further 10 will at the end of the year.
Pat Waterman, chairman at Big Bus Tours, said: “We take immense pride in leading the change towards electric vehicles in the sightseeing industry. Our commitment to sustainability is not just words, we are taking concrete actions to ensure a cleaner and greener future for our customers, future generations and our planet.”
Zenobē electrifies buses across the UK
At the end of May, Zenobē announced the completion of a £410 million finance deal, enabling it to support the deployment of over 2,000 electric bus vehicles across the UK and Ireland by 2026. The company also specialises in battery energy storage and has 735MW of battery storage projects in operation or under construction.
The financing will allow Zenobē to remove battery risk for bus fleet operators by taking on the responsibility and risk associated with EV batteries, including performance, replacement and repurposing in second-life applications.
