Local transport minister Simon Lightwood visited the Oxfordshire facility to see new electric life breathed into diesel buses
Wrightbus says it will create 50 additional jobs in Oxfordshire as it ramps up its transformation of diesel buses to electric power at its NewPower facility. Welcoming Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood to officially open the state-of-the-art facility in Bicester, CEO Jean-Marc Gales said it was time to accelerate decarbonisation efforts.
Launched by Wrightbus in 2024, the company takes mid-life diesel buses and replaces their engines with zero-emission electric powertrains. The company says there are already 65 people working at the plant, with plans for a further 50 once it hits the target of repowering 250 buses a year.
Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood visited NewPower on Thursday 27 February to see the repowering process first-hand and officially open the 40,000sq ft facility. He said: “It’s great to officially open Wrightbus’s NewPower facility and see how it is breathing a clean new life into old diesel buses, helping us meet our climate goals. We are committed to supporting decarbonisation, with our incoming Bus Services Bill including a measure to bring an end to the use of new diesel or petrol buses on most English bus routes from no earlier than 2030.”
CEO Jean-Marc Gales added: “We were delighted to show Mr Lightwood the importance of what we are doing here at NewPower. Repowering diesels gives them a 10-year second life and is a hugely affordable solution to operators. We believe the Department for Transport should ensure Mayors and councils have the full range of UK-made technologies available to speed up their delivery of decarbonisation and improved air quality commitments.”
