23rd November 2023

Zenobē, the leading specialists in EV fleet and battery storage solutions, today highlighted the EV fleet policy developments required to support the electrification of fleets and public transport, during a visit by Anneliese Dodds MP for Oxford East to Oxford Bus Company’s Cowley Depot.

Recommendations include striving for more continuous and consistent funding models, clarity in the route forward for bus electrification targets and measures that will encourage more passengers to use buses as a main form of transport.

Zenobē’s latest partnership with Oxford Bus Company, a subsidiary of GoAhead Group, is one step to supporting the switch to electric, installing 104 bus charging points at  its Cowley Depot as part of its recent ZEBRA-funded rollout of the same number of electric buses later this year. The project aims to clean up Oxford’s air quality and provide residents with cost-effective, reliable transportation without imposing constraints on residents.

The project is just one example of Zenobe’s work to support the transition to greener transport networks, with its state-of-the-art charging hubs to each deliver 150kw of power, providing enough electricity for every bus to drive over 170 miles per day.

Anneliese Dodds, MP for Oxford East and Labour Party Chair, commented on her recent visit to the Go-Ahead Group’s Cowley Depot in Oxford: “I am delighted to be here with Zenobē, Oxford Bus, and Oxford City Council to celebrate the electrification of Oxford’s landmark new fleet of buses. Labour is committed to decarbonising public transport, and it is solutions like these that will make this a reality.”

Bradley Fox, Director of EV Fleet for Zenobe, commented: “Our work with the likes of Go-Ahead Group, Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach is vital to helping a major city in Oxford transition to cleaner, greener forms of transport at speed. We are incredibly excited by the work we are doing to help the UK’s transition to electric, and we will continue to push for greater clarity and support for operators to make sustainable changes in their operations.”

Zenobē works with operators and local authorities across the UK to electrify bus fleets at low cost. It currently works with 90% of all major UK operators and has electrified over 75 depots globally, supporting over 1000 electric buses, coaches and trucks. By 2026, Zenobē aims to support 4000 electric buses, trucks and commercial vehicles.

Cowley is just the first of two major Zenobē projects in Oxfordshire, with Zenobē also breaking ground with Stagecoach West at its “Network Oxford” site which launched construction at a “Golden Spade” event in October, helping power a further 55 electric buses. The combined 159 buses powered at these depots will lead to a reduction of 6,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year and up to 50% of NOx (nitrogen oxides) pollution in the most congested areas of Oxford, tackling climate change and improving air quality.

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company, added: “It was great to welcome Anneliese to our depot and to show her the rapid progress we are making installing the charging infrastructure as part of our fast-moving plans to decarbonise our city fleet. Anneliese is a great advocate of bus travel and a supporter of our journey to an electric future, so we valued the opportunity to further educate her on our strategy to improve air quality and roll out net-zero technology with key partners including Zenobē. 

“We’re gradually introducing the first tranche of electric buses to our services in the city, and these will help to make bus travel an even more attractive option for people to travel around Oxford.”

Karen Coventry, Commercial and Marketing Director at Stagecoach West, said: “We have been on our electric journey in Oxford for over 18 months now and it is always a pleasure to be able to share the experience with others. The road to electric is more complex than our standard diesel model and we have been collectively learning as we progress through the planning and build stages. We are excited to be introducing our fleet into the City from March 2024 and it has been great to see the progress Zenobe has made at both Go Ahead and Stagecoach sites to support this. The project is another example of partnership working to deliver a combined transport solution across the City of Oxford.”