Electric buses coming to Aberdeen, Perth and Kilmarnock
Following the launch of Scotland’s e-bus funding SUBLEBS, Stagecoach has released further information in its current order. They ordered 46 electric buses from BYD ADL for use in three Scottish cities. The 24 electric single-deck and 22 double-deck buses will be deployed in Aberdeen, Perth and Kilmarnock.
Stagecoach plans to deploy 22 Enviro400EV double-deckers with a length of 10.8 meters in Aberdeen. The electric solo buses will go to the two other municipalities in different versions: 15 10.9-meter Enviro200EV models are planned for Kilmarnock and nine slightly longer 11.6-meter variant for Perth.
Stagecoach is working with Scottish energy company SSE to set up the charging infrastructure at depots in Aberdeen and Perth. Whether new chargers will also be needed in Kilmarnock is not mentioned in BYD’s accompanying announcement.
The 46 buses on order will all be assembled at BYD-ADL’s plant in Falkirk, Scotland. The order follows the second round of the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS) funding programme as reported. The Scottish government has awarded grants totalling 40.5 million pounds (just over 47 million euros) to replace a total of 215 diesel buses with battery-electric buses.
“The Scottish Government deserves great credit for leading by example and supporting the commitment of bus operators to invest in cleaner and greener buses – and we are delighted that the tenders for 172 of our electric buses have been successful,” expressed Paul Davies, president and chief executive of Alexander Dennis, when the funding was announced recently.
When declaring a climate emergency in 2019, Scotland pledged to decarbonise transport while aiming for net-zero carbon-neutrality by 2040. Commitments include the phase-out of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2032 and light commercial vehicles by 2030. The public sector fleet must not buy any new ICE by 2025. There are also plans to create Scotland’s first electric highway on the A9 and have at least 20 Electric Towns across Scotland by 2025. The Scottish Highlands and Islands also aim to become a net-zero aviation region by 2040.
0 Comments