Transport UK London Bus - Battersea and Southall depots
In September 2023, Zenobē partnered with Transport UK London Bus (TUKLB) to develop a funding model that has enabled TUKLB to become one of the leading operators of fully electric buses in London.
Introduction
Transport UK London Bus had clear aims in mind for the transition of its fleet to electric:
- To grow its EV fleet to operate existing routes and secure new routes in London
- Provide sustainable and robust infrastructure that allows the business to anticipate and accommodate future needs
- Deliver a growth strategy that has sustainable transport at its heart and understands the business need to support TfL and the Mayor of London’s 2030 vision
- To work with a partner that can innovate and adapt to evolving projects
Our partnership with Transport UK London Bus has financed the delivery and completion of the following:
- The full electrification of TUKLB’s Battersea and Southall depots
- Integration of battery storage facilities at Southall
- The mobilisation of 89 Wrightbus Electroliner fully electric buses
- Doubling of TUKLB’s EV fleet, operating 30% of its fleet with fully electric vehicles
In this case study, we will examine how our tailored financing has enabled TUKLB to spread costs for vehicles, charging infrastructure, e-bus batteries and their replacement. We’ll also look at the delivery of the charging infrastructure, including the end-to-end electrification of the operator’s Southall depot.
Challenges
Southall depot – a constrained network area:
Transport UK’s Southall depot is in a constrained network area, meaning there isn’t enough power available in the local area to sufficiently power the depot and charging of the 25 electric vehicles they were procuring for TfL routes E5 and E7.
We secured and financed a 500kVa grid connection on behalf of TUKLB, working with the DNO and ICP to coordinate its procurement and installation. The grid connection was supplemented with a 1.2MW/1.2MWh battery to ensure all buses could be sufficiently charged without the need for a more costly grid connection upgrade.
With the grid connection secured and supplemented, we installed 13 x 150 kW Zerova DC chargers, with all infrastructure financed under a 14-year Charging Service Agreement.
In tandem with the infrastructure development, we financed a fleet of 25 e-buses for TUKLB including 12 Wrightbus Kite Electroliners (single deck) servicing Transport for London’s (TfL) route E7, and 13 Switch Metrocity (single deck) vehicles services for TfL route E5. All vehicles are financed under a 14-year battery managed service and master rental agreement. The battery managed service guarantees the performance of the batteries on board the vehicle will sufficiently meet route requirements for the duration of the contract period, removing the risk for TUKLB.
The project demonstrates the benefits of having a fleet electrification partnership from the early phase of power integration through to the long-term operation and financing of the batteries and the vehicles. It also demonstrates the variety of vehicle types Zenobē can support with financing.
Battersea – bespoke financing based on route requirements:
At Transport UK London Bus’s Battersea depot, we provided flexible financing based on the specific needs of each route.
Route C3 – Financed 10 Wrightbus Streetdeck (double deck) vehicles on the operator’s C3 route and provision of a Master Rental Agreement to enable TUKLB to purchase the vehicles and have the performance of the on-board batteries guaranteed for 14 years.
Route 306 – Financed 11 Wrightbus Streetdeck (double deck) vehicles in a similar agreement to the route C3 vehicles and procured and financed the charging infrastructure including five Zerova chargers.
Route 133 – Delivered full electrification programme, financing 27 Wrightbus Streetdeck vehicles, the on-board batteries and charging infrastructure in the Battersea depot. We also project managed the installation of a 5MVA grid connection to ensure enough power could be delivered to site to charge the vehicles.
Results
Zenobē has now financed 193 vehicles across 12 TfL routes for Transport UK London Bus, including managing the batteries on all of these vehicles to ensure their successful operation is guaranteed. By underwriting the battery replacement cost risk for TUKLB, we reduce the total cost of ownership of their fleet and effectively manage the risks associated with electrification.
Since September 2023, Transport UK London Bus has doubled its full EV fleet and making it London’s first operator to have energised all of its depots. It now operates over 30% of its fleet with fully EV buses and in the process has removed around 200 diesel vehicles from London’s roads.
In numbers
of TUKLB fleet now fully electric
vehicles financed
Transport for London routes supported
