Newport sees Yutong electric go into service
Fifteen Yutong electric buses are now operating in Newport with seven buses dedicated to three routes between Newport, Caerleon and Cwmbran, including picking up the staff and patients at The Grange University Hospital. The arrival of the Yutong electric fleet at Newport Transport has been supported by Zenobe Energy, owner and operator of battery storage facilities.
Zenobe, which claims to power 25 per cent of the EV bus market in the UK, is providing Newport Transport with an end-to-end solution, including financing for batteries, the charging system at the depot with nine dedicated rapid chargers, and a software platform that helps monitor and optimise energy use.
“We are delighted to see our partnership with Newport Transport drive the improvement of air quality in Newport, leading the way for Wales,” says Steven Meersman, co-founder, Zenobe Energy. “Our solutions are helping the UK meet its net-zero commitments, reducing pollution and ultimately helping to save lives. We’re passionate about ensuring that people in Wales’s towns, cities and villages can travel in a safe, sustainable way, on a mode of transport which is a lifeline to so many.”
Scott Pearson, managing director, Newport Transport, adds: “Newport Transport is pleased to provide our customers with an important cleaner choice of public transport now and for the future.
“This is a massive step forward for the company. Delivering such an innovative scheme, during a pandemic, with a strategic vision beyond these trying times is absolutely key to reducing our environmental impact, thus doing what we can to slow climate change.”