Wrightbus is one of seven projects to be awarded a share of £62m by the Department for Transport (DfT) from its Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV) fund “to advance the development of a range of ultra-low and zero emissions vehicle technologies in the UK.” The other winners are understood to be non-bus projects.
In total the DfT has announced £109.7m funding, mainly for the next generation of driverless and low-carbon vehicles, as part of the ‘Industrial Strategy’ and the government’s ‘Plan for Britain’.
Although the amount Wrightbus has won has not been disclosed, the firm says that it relates to its next generation Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) project for its StreetLite and StreetDeck models.
Wrightbus says: “When combined with Micro Hybrid technology, it will provide fuel savings and CO2 emission levels 34% better than the low-emission bus Euro 5 baseline, while also offering excellent value for money over its lifetime.”
The system uses a lithium titanate battery and two motor generator units to recuperate braking energy and to assist the acceleration of a bus.
Further details of the project will be unveiled as the project develops, adds Wrightbus.
