It’s been a year since Wrightbus went in to Administration and were taken over by Jo Bamford.
From Birmingham City Council News Release
Birmingham City Council has purchased 20 new hydrogen double decker buses as part of their Clean Air Hydrogen Bus Pilot.
The Clean Air Hydrogen Bus Pilot looks to ‘kick-start’ the hydrogen market as a viable zero-emission fuel with the procurement and deployment of 20 hydrogen buses in Birmingham. The buses, which are made by Wrightbus and are the world's first zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell double deckers, will be introduced with National Express West Midlands from April 2021.
It’s intended that pilot will be the catalyst for the next generation of hydrogen buses, hydrogen production and re-fuelling infrastructure development. The council have also collaborated with ITM, who will be producing and dispensing the hydrogen fuel from the new re-fuelling hub at Tyseley Energy Park.
Hydrogen buses consume four times less fuel in comparison to standard diesel buses, covering 300 miles on a single tank and with the ability to refuel within 7-10 minutes. They emit water vapour, meaning no carbon dioxide or other harmful gases are being pumped in to the air.
Hailed as another solution to tackling the city’s poor air quality and a key step towards achieving the council’s net zero carbon target, each bus is expected to save up to 79.3 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per annum.
Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, Councillor Waseem Zaffar said: “I’m delighted that we will be introducing hydrogen buses to Birmingham next year. Fuel cell buses offer a practical solution for cities to decarbonise public transport and immediately improve air quality.
“It has taken us two years to get to a point where we can ensure commercial viability for this type of fuel cell technology and is great news for our city and the rest of the region.
“This pilot is a significant step towards our net zero carbon target and will provide Birmingham with a leading role in informing debate on supportive policies for zero emission public transport at a local and national level.”
The buses are being manufactured by Wrightbus, who are also supplying vehicles to Aberdeen and London as a first in the deployment of hydrogen fuel cell double decker buses in the UK and within Europe. The buses will be operated in Birmingham by National Express, with an ambition to run them on the new Sprint route when it opens.
Jo Bamford, Owner and Chairman of Wrightbus said: “We’re incredibly proud that these buses hold the title of being the world's first zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell double deckers, and we’re delighted that Birmingham City Council has recognised the benefits that this technology can bring to the city.
“We have an opportunity with hydrogen-powered transport to make a huge difference to air quality.
“But this fleet of buses represents much more than Birmingham striving to reach a clean air, zero-carbon future. It represents the start of what could be a world-leading UK hydrogen economy which will bring with it multi-million-pound investments and tens of thousands of jobs.”
Tom Stables, National Express UK Managing Director said: “National Express West Midlands announced earlier this year that our entire bus fleet will be zero-emission by 2030 and we are already operating 29 fully electric buses in Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry.
“By operating hydrogen double deckers in service in Birmingham, we will learn which routes lend themselves to hydrogen buses and what the mix of vehicles in our fleet should be going forward.
"These new buses will be fitted out in our top-spec Platinum range, so customers will also benefit from free Wi-Fi, USB chargers and extra legroom. Because there is no engine, they are super-quiet. And of course, all that comes out of the exhaust is water vapour."
The development will see the start of fuel cell technology supply chains within the region and will help to support a brand-new service and maintenance apprenticeship programme.
It has been funded through OLEV (Office for Low Emission Vehicles), GBSLEP (Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership), Birmingham City Council and JIVE project funding from the FCH JU (European Funding from the Fuel Cell Hydrogen Joint Undertaking) under grant agreement No 735582. The FCH JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research.
GBSLEP’s Deputy Chair for Delivery, Chris Loughran said: “The team at Birmingham City Council have demonstrated real determination in reaching this milestone in what has been a difficult climate.
“This will not only make an important contribution to improving air quality for those living and working in the city, but it further augments the region’s growing low carbon and energy technologies sector. The buses will make use of the low emission re-fuelling infrastructure at Tyseley Energy Park, which GBSLEP is also proud to have supported via our Local Growth Fund.
“Our investments reflect our commitment to tackling one of the largest challenges we collectively face and to growing the region’s energy sector, which has enormous potential to generate new jobs and bring investment to the area.”
Once launched, the Clean Air Hydrogen Bus Pilot will be monitored and reviewed to analyse and ensure the ongoing commercial and operational viability of hydrogen buses, to enable a continued roll out of hydrogen fuel cell technology within bus fleets, as part of the city’s commitment to the environment and cleaner air.
Delivery of double deck hydrogens for Aberdeen has now commenced and they will start passenger service soon.
From Aberdeen City Council news release
The arrival of the first of the zero emission buses underlines the city’s role as the energy capital of Europe and shows its commitment to the transition of green energy from oil and gas as part of the Net Zero Vision.
The hydrogen double deckers will be spotted around the city for several weeks during a period of final testing along with training for drivers, with the buses expected to be in service next month.
The buses are as efficient as electric equivalents, with refuelling taking less than 10 minutes and offering a greater range. Water is the only emission from the vehicles which reduces carbon emissions and the new buses continues to contribute to the city’s commitment to tackling air pollution.
The UK’s first hydrogen production and bus refuelling station was opened in Aberdeen in 2015, as part of a £19million green transport demonstration project. The Aberdeen City Council-led project tested the economic and environmental benefits of hydrogen transport technologies and aims to drive the development of hydrogen technologies.
Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Jenny Laing said: “We are very proud to bring the world’s first hydrogen-powered double-decker buses to Aberdeen as it shows the city continues to be at the forefront of developing green technologies.”
“The roll out of the new double-decker buses will help to cement Aberdeen’s position as an entrepreneurial and technological leader as the new buses come with even more advanced technology which pushes established hydrogen boundaries and greatly assists us in tackling air pollution in the city.”
“We look forward to seeing the new hydrogen double-deckers being tested around the streets of Aberdeen over the next few weeks before they come into service.”
Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Douglas Lumsden said: “It is fantastic to see the world’s first hydrogen-powered double decker bus arrive in Aberdeen and they further show our commitment to achieving net zero.
“By leveraging our unique assets and capabilities, we will help lead the world on the rapid shift to a net zero future and support the global energy transition as a climate positive city.
“We are responding, as a city and place, to the environmental imperative and also our role as a world leader in the energy sector as an economic driver for the city, region, Scotland and the UK.”
The buses have been manufactured by a UK-based company – Wrightbus based in Northern Ireland - and will complement the existing fleet that the city already boasts including a range of hydrogen and electric vans, road sweepers, and cars through a car share scheme.
Jo Bamford, Wrightbus owner and Executive Chairman, said: “We’re immensely proud to be putting the world’s first fleet of hydrogen double deckers onto the streets of Aberdeen.
“And these buses represent much more than Aberdeen striving to reach a clean air, zero-carbon future. They represent the start of what could be a world-leading hydrogen economy here in Scotland which will bring with it multi-million pound investments and tens of thousands of jobs.
“Not only do our buses hold the title of being the world's first zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell double deckers, they emit only water vapour.
“We hope that more councils across the UK follow Aberdeen City Council’s lead.”
First Aberdeen, part of the multinational company First Group which originated in the city, is to run the 15 buses along one of its most popular service routes and the new vehicles will further underline the city’s role as a pioneer in hydrogen.
David Phillips, Operations Director for First Aberdeen, said: “We are delighted to be operating these state-of-the-art double decker hydrogen buses in partnership with Aberdeen City Council and we are thrilled to share a sneak peak of them with the public today.
“We look forward to rolling them out to the people of Aberdeen later this month and it is exciting to play a part in the latest leg of the city’s hydrogen journey. First Aberdeen are committed to working with local stakeholders to accelerate our driver for a zero emission fleet across our entire network by 2035 and we are excited to see the impact these buses will have.”
The vehicles will be operated by First will be mainly on the Service 19 (Peterculter to Tillydrone) along with other services and is part funded by the European Union’s JIVE project, which aims to aid commercialisation of hydrogen buses through joint procurement between cities. Cities that will follow Aberdeen’s footsteps include London and Birmingham, with Dundee and Brighton and Hove being lead partners in JIVE2.
The new £8.3million project has been funded by Aberdeen City Council, the Scottish Government, and the European Union (FCH JU), with an investment of about £500,000 per vehicle.
Scotland’s Energy Minister, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “I warmly welcome the deployment of the very latest generation of zero emission hydrogen buses in the city – building on Aberdeen’s already-impressive record of achievements as a pioneer in the use of hydrogen transport solutions. Our funding contribution of £3 million towards this new fleet is evidence of our commitment to decarbonising transport, as a key element of Scotland’s journey to net-zero carbon, with potential economic benefits for the North East and right across the remainder of Scotland.”
Here at @Wright_bus we’re delighted to see today’s arrival of our world-first #zeroemission hydrogen double-deckers in the great city of Aberdeen. Unlocking the #hydrogen economy whilst tackling emissions. 👏🏼👏🏼#hydrogenbus #wrightbus #aberdeenhydrogen #emissions. pic.twitter.com/B6l68K34S6
— Wrightbus (@Wright_bus) October 7, 2020
After a long wait, I expect to see the double deck hydrogens appear in London Bus service soon.
New era for Wrightbus
Wrightbus have been undergoing a huge transformation since the new owners took over the company. They have launched a new website dedicated to their double deck hydrogen product.
Wrightbus have posted a new video on their YouTube channel promoting their double deck hydrogen product.
It’s good to see Wrightbus gaining ground with their double deck hydrogen buses ordered by the local authorities in the United Kingdom for bus operators to use. Different bus manufacturers will soon sell and build their own hydrogen buses for operators to use.
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