Wrightbus is among 12 companies that have been selected to take part in the government-hosted Global Investment Summit on October 19. The Ballymena manufacturer will show a hydrogen fuel cell-electric StreetDeck Hydroliner double-decker to the approximately 200 investors that will attend the event, which will be hosted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The summit aims to drive billions of pounds’ worth of investment across the UK. It will showcase the latest innovation that is helping to deliver key elements of the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, which the government published in November 2020.
Wrightbus Executive Chairman and owner Jo Bamford – who rescued the company from administration in 2019 and has since overseen the introduction of multiple new zero-emission models – says the company is proud to display its “world leading technology” at the event alongside other UK innovators.
“We are honoured to have been invited to showcase our world-first Hydroliner hydrogen double-decker bus at the prestigious Global Investment Summit,” adds Mr Bamford. “Thanks to investment into research and development, Wrightbus has become a true world leader in zero-emission bus technology.
“From the launch of the world’s first hydrogen double-deck bus to the fastest charging [battery-electric] double-decker on the market, our innovation in the sector is unsurpassed.”
The Global Investment Summit “will put UK innovation on the map and demonstrate how we can use investment to nurture technological developments and propel our economy towards a more prosperous and exciting future,” says Minister for Investment Gerry Grimstone.
“Our showcase businesses show why the UK is a global hub for green technology. I am proud that Wrightbus will be presenting its innovative world-first zero-emission double-deck hydrogen bus to some of the world’s most high-profile investors at the summit.”
Also set to be present at the Global Investment Summit is Arrival. It recently confirmed that “private testing” of its battery-electric bus with First Bus will commence during this quarter, ahead of trials on public roads beginning in Q1 2022, in a revision to the previously-anticicpated timeline.
