Twenty Wrightbus built zero emission hydrogen buses will arrive in London next year.
The world’s first hydrogen double decker buses will be introduced on three London bus routes next year. On May 10, 2019 ‘Transport For London’ (TFL) ordered 20 of the green buses, which produce no pollution from their exhausts, as part of its drive to make London transport zero emission. The environment friendly vehicles will be introduced on routes 245, 7 and N7 with people travelling to Wembley Stadium, or from West London to the West End.
TFL is investing £12 million in the new buses and the fuelling infrastructure. Wrightbus will manufacture the buses. TFL is leading procurement within the ‘Joint Initiative for hydrogen vehicles across Europe’, (JIVE) project.
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: “We all have a role to play in cleaning up London’s toxic air and I’ve always said that TFL should lead from the front. Following the launch of the world first Ultra Low Emission Zone last month I’m delighted that TFL has today signed a contract to bring 20 state of the art, zero emission hydrogen buses to London’s streets. We are investing a record £85 million in cleaning up our bus fleet, and I am proud that London now has the largest zero emission bus fleet in Europe.”
Hydrogen buses can store more energy on board than equivalent buses, meaning they can be deployed on longer routes. They only need to be refuelled once a day for five minutes, making them much quicker to power up when compared with conventional battery electric buses.
Claire Mann, TFL’s Director of Bus Operations, said: “London has the cleanest bus fleet in Europe, but we know we need to go further and faster to tackle the public health emergency caused by dirty air. Innovating and using hydrogen means we have flexibility in matching the right fuel with the operational requirements of the network.”
David Barnett, Wrightbus’ Business Development Director, welcomed the news saying “ Wrightbus are delighted to be working with TfL to bring 20 zero emission double decks into service in London. The innovative configuration allows us to offer a zero emission double deck with much greater flexibility due to the increased range and short refuelling times.”
“Wrightbus are continuing to work closely with other cities, and we expect that this order from TfL marks a tipping point for the fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). Wrightbus predict that the FCEV will become an integral part of the UK’s solution for zero emission public transport”