Oxford Bus Company and EDF Renewables UK have signed an agreement for the provision of an 8MW connection to the operator’s depot in the city to enable the introduction and charging of 104 Wrightbus battery-electric buses.
It forms the latest part of an ambitious urban decarbonisation project, Energy Superhub Oxford. That work has seen innovations such as the creation of a first of a kind battery storage system, a high-power private wire charging network and an electric vehicle charging hub at the Redbridge park-and-ride site.
Charging of the 104 buses will take advantage of the high voltage connection that Energy Superhub Oxford has enabled. A substation at the depot was installed and connected by EDF Renewables in spring 2022 in anticipation of the agreement.
Speaking about concluding the deal, Oxford Bus Company Managing Director Luke Marion says: “Go-Ahead Group and Oxford Bus Company’s ambition to transition to a zero-emission fleet has been in planning for several years already.
“This agreement with EDF Renewables UK takes us one step closer to having more electric buses in Oxford, and is a key milestone on our exciting electric transformation journey.”
The first of the battery-electric vehicles, which are part funded by a successful Oxfordshire County Council bid to the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme, will arrive late this year. They are made up of 99 StreetDeck Electroliner double-deckers and five GB Kite Electroliner single-deckers. Their deployment will capture the high-profile BROOKESBus operation that serves Oxford Brookes University.
Oxford Bus Company introduced the first battery-electric buses to its fleet in 2020 via its City Sightseeing operation. There are now three such repowered examples in use as the fruits of a partnership with Oxford City Council.
