First Bus asks Wrightbus to retrofit 30 diesel buses

Wrightbus' new business unit NewPower has received its first order to retrofit diesel buses with electric drives. It comes from the British bus operator First Bus.

The order is for 30 buses to be retrofitted at NewPower’s Bicester factory in Oxfordshire. It uses battery systems from Forsee for its conversions. These are available in five versions with a capacity of 74 to 84 kWh, but it is not sure which one will be used to convert the First Bus vehicles. During re-powering, the diesel engine is swapped out for a Voith Electric Drive System (VEDS), NMC battery packs, and a Grayson HVAC system.

Wrightbus only launched the re-powering service for electric buses at the end of June. It was reported that converting a diesel bus would cost around 200,000 pounds (roughly 238,000 euros). The value of the deal with First Bus was not communicated. Wrightbus says it only takes three weeks to retrofit a diesel bus. However, NewPower engineers can only work at up to six units simultaneously at the Bicester.

The bus model is not mentioned either. However, at the launch, it was reported that Wrightbus would focus on electrifying its Streedeck buses (of which it sells an electric version), followed by the Gemini 2. So, it is likely that these are, in fact, diesel-powered Streedeck buses.

What is certain is that, even though this is NewPower’s first official order, it has already retrofitted two buses for First Bus. The operator had provided NewPower with two units “to trial and perfect the technology ahead of the launch.”

“At Wrightbus, we already have a positive relationship with First Bus, having supplied them with numerous zero-emission buses over recent years. That’s why it’s particularly satisfying to receive NewPower’s first order from them,” said Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales. “Once back in service, the repowered buses will have an immediate impact on reducing pollution and improving air quality in the towns and cities in which they operate.”

“We are thrilled to place this order for an additional 30 repowered buses and to continue our collaboration with Wrightbus on this exciting project,” added First Bus’ Decarbonisation Programme Director, Faizan Ahmad. “We are committed to achieving a fully electric bus fleet by 2035, and repower technology has the potential to be a real game-changer in helping us reach that goal as well as benefiting the wider bus industry as we work to decarbonise the sector.”

wrightbus.com