E12 65109 (SG23 WUK) is one of the the 24 buses that eventually entered service in Aberdeen. RICHARD WALTER
As the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 28 draws to a close in Dubai Richard Walter looks at UK electric bus and coach orders during 2023. Part two, covering hydrogen, autonomous buses and other developments will follow in a future issue
It’s now over two years since COP 26 and there has been a flurry in the ordering and delivery of zero-emission vehicles for operators throughout the UK. In November, Zemo Partnership published a summary of the number of low and zero-emission buses in the UK, revealing that there were 4,572 hybrid, 2,776 battery electric, 378 biomethane, 131 hydrogen and 6 plug-in hybrid vehicles in service. Looking specifically at the figures for battery electric buses, the total of 2,776 broke down into 2,079 in England (including London), 485 in Scotland, 88 in Wales and 124 in Northern Ireland. As might be expected the largest amount of 1,419 zero-emission buses were in service in London, built by various manufacturers in the UK and globally. More orders will follow in 2024. Other examples of operators ordering battery electric buses include Stagecoach which is on target for a zero-emission UK bus fleet by 2035. The company acquired some 159 new vehicles during 2023 and plans to introduce 150 double-deck and 20 single-deck Volvo/MCVs in Stockport plus a further 122 new fully electric buses in key transport networks across the UK in the next 12 months.
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Under the Scottish Government’s ScotZEB challenge fund, Stagecoach has also ordered 20 of the newly launched ADL Enviro100EV to be deployed across operating companies in Scotland. Meanwhile First Bus is rolling out 117 new Wrightbus double-deck buses in Yorkshire, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Hampshire funded in part by £25.3 million of government funding. The funding means that depots in Norwich and York will become the company’s first electric-only depots outside of London. Volvo Buses secured an order for 50 Volvo BZLs from Lothian Buses for delivery during 2024, demonstrating that operators are seriously thinking about bringing their fleets up to zero-emission standards.
The photos that follow represent some of the many electric vehicles that have appeared during 2023 and give an indication of the variety of types currently available on the market as well as the fleets that they joined during the year.
See our print or digital issue for the full gallery of electric bus images
