Work to repower Wrightbus StreetDeck diesel double-deckers to battery-electric by the manufacturer’s NewPower arm is gaining pace, with a belief that 150 such conversions can be completed this year and 250 in 2026.
An initial batch of 32 such repowers for First Bus is underway, with the first handful of those buses back in use. Arriva, Go-Ahead and Rotala are among other confirmed customers, each for one seed conversion to start.
Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales says that the NewPower business “has taken time to get up to speed” from start in 2024. He notes that “every single bus order is bespoke; along with the conversion from diesel to electric, operators also want refurbishment – from paint to seats and everything in between.”
Mr Gales adds how that depth of work means vehicles take longer to turn around, but he notes that the process “is becoming more streamlined each week, and we believe we can get 150 buses out of the door this year with 250 following in 2026.”
Of the three operators beyond First Bus confirmed as having StreetDeck repower work done by NewPower, Arriva will have the solitary diesel example in its Midlands fleet converted, although a spokesperson notes that it a group-led project.
That pre-production bus dates from 2014. It is due be used from Thurmaston depot in Leicestershire for comparative testing alongside 49 StreetDeck Electroliner OEM battery-electrics that are part-funded by the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme.
The StreetDeck conversion for Go-Ahead is part of the Go North West fleet. It is a 21-plate example for Bee Network franchised services in Greater Manchester. The project is being undertaken in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).
Go-Ahead Managing Director UK Regional Bus Martin Dean notes that while the business placed an order with Wrightbus in 2024 for over 1,000 new battery-electric buses, work with TfGM on repower intends to explore “how we can decarbonise our existing buses using NewPower.”
Mr Dean adds that partners on the project TfGM and Wrightbus “have been excellent to work with, and we are excited about the potential that this technology provides.”
Go North West has already introduced 69 new battery-electric buses “and we are committed to working with TfGM to achieve net-zero across its Bee Network.” Around 100 further diesel StreetDecks that are of a similar age to the repowered bus are within the operator’s fleet.
The Rotala repower is a 20-plate bus. It is part of the group’s Diamond Bus West Midlands operation. Chief Executive Simon Dunn says that Rotala has found maintenance costs and reliability “a concern” on all Euro VI diesel buses. He adds that the Daimler OM 934 engine has proved to be problematic in the StreetDeck application.
“When we consider the whole life cost of these products against what we believe an electric will be, we believe the cost increase to be marginal,” continues Mr Dunn.
“We invested in one repower initially to enhance our view, and once we have adequately tested the product, we will decide on whether or not we have a desire to do more.” The group previously had a small number of MAN 12.240 single-deckers converted to battery-electric by Magtec.
NewPower notes that its engineers can repower buses from manufacturers other than Wrightbus, and that Volvos have already been completed. Trucks and vans are on the agenda for later.
On scope for repower of the StreetLite single-deck, Mr Gales says that those “prove a greater challenge” than double-deckers “simply because of the battery weights needed to fit the space we have available.”
He continues: “If we did have more space for batteries, we would then run into problems with the axle weight, so for the meantime we are concentrating on double-deck buses.”
