Collaboration marks first example of ‘battery on the bus’ scheme in the capital

• Bus company Abellio is launching its first fleet of electric buses in the city
• Zenobē Energy will own and operate the batteries on the bus, run and maintain the charging infrastructure in the depot, and fund the remainder of the buses for Abellio
• This is the first example of complete financing and provision of a ‘battery on the bus’ scheme in London

Zenobē Energy, a leading UK owner and operator of battery storage, announces its collaboration with Abellio in London. The project will be bringing 34 electric buses to areas across south London by March 2020.

This is the first EV financing project in the city for Zenobē since the company announced its £120 million partnership funding in May, with an aim to facilitate the electrification of transport fleets and the potential to double the number of electric vehicles on UK roads. This is the third EV project announced by the battery operator, with other schemes commissioned in Guildford and in build in Newport.

Abellio London, which operates buses for Transport for London, will be bringing these brand-new Caetano buses onto routes C10 (Canada Water to Victoria Station) and P5 (Patmore Estate to Elephant & Castle) from early next year. This will also be the first use of Portuguese manufacturer Caetano’s electric city buses in the UK.

The transport sector is the largest contributor of CO2 and NOx emissions. The London Mayor is currently working hard to tackle the toxic fumes from vehicles to address the causes of poor air quality that is impacting the health of the city’s occupants. Around half of London’s air pollution is caused by road transport and, with Zenobē’s financing working alongside the government’s ULEB grants, is significantly speeding up the process of bringing zero-emission vehicles onto roads. This will help to improve air quality across London and to meet our legally binding carbon reduction targets.

Steven Meersman, co-founder of Zenobē Energy, said:

“We’re privileged to be working with Abellio on such a ground-breaking project in the capital. As a London-based company, we are delighted to play a role in the city’s drive to reduce pollution and improve air quality, as we are doing in Guildford on the charging, and builds directly on the first end-to-end solution including vehicles with Newport, announced earlier this year.

“Through our service-based model, we’re supporting the EV ambition of forward-thinking operators like Abellio, lowering both the cost and the risk.

“We hope this is the first of many opportunities like this in London and look forward to working with other commercial fleet operators in their transition to net-zero.”

Alastair Willis, Head of Commercial at Abellio, said:

“We look forward to working with Zenobē to deliver this exciting project for our London bus operation. The innovative battery storage solution for our Walworth depot will allow us to ensure delivery of two zero-emission bus routes from March 2020 and provides a cost effective solution to allow us to upgrade our bus depot infrastructure to allow overnight vehicle charging of the new Caetano vehicles.

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further information, please contact:

Kerri Fitzpatrick (0203 696 5803 / Zenobe@standagency.com)

About Zenobe Energy Ltd. (Zenobē)

Zenobē Energy is one of the largest independent owners and operators of battery storage in the UK with 73 MW of operational assets and a large portfolio of projects in our pipeline. We provide intelligent flexible power solutions to commercial EV fleet operators, utilities and industrial and commercial businesses. Our battery storage services help clients manage power more effectively so they can lower costs, improve resilience and reduce their environmental impact.

About Abellio London Bus

Abellio London Bus operate bus services across London on behalf of Transport for London, plus rail replacement and event services across the UK. It operates over eight per cent of London bus network, running 750 vehicles and employing 2,500 staff across 6 depots in Central, South and West London.

They are part of the Abellio group and believe that public transport is a vital part of community life and aim to offer easier journeys, every day, through providing a professional and quality service. Abellio London Bus won Best London depot at UK Bus awards in 2018, is a finalist in the Best Use of Technology for the Route One Awards 2019 and also won the Most Innovative Transport Project at the London Transport Awards 2019.

Abellio UK is a transport operating group with offices in Glasgow and London. They operate the ScotRail, West Midlands Railway and Greater Anglia franchises, and run the Merseyrail concession in a joint venture with Serco. They will commence the East Midlands Railway franchise in the Summer 2019 making them a true force for progress and prosperity in the UK. The driving purpose is delivering easier journeys for customers, every day. Abellio is a wholly- owned subsidiary of Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways).