A £140m bid to make Coventry the UK’s first all-electric bus city has taken a major step forward. The overall aim is to ensure every bus in Coventry is zero-emission by 2025.
The city is well on its way to that target as National Express Coventry says it is now operating 130 new double-decker zero emission all-electric buses in Coventry. This means 80 percent of National Express Coventry’s fleet is now zero-emission.
The buses produce zero carbon emissions at the tailpipe and are powered by renewable ‘green’ energ via solar panels, a second-life battery and charge-point infrastructure all installed at National Express Coventry’s bus depot. The electric buses take four hours to charge and can run for up to 175 miles depending on the time of year.
READ MORE: New flats to be built on old Coventry swimming pool site
To date, National Express Coventry’s electric buses have operated over 2.5 million miles since they first hit the streets in August 2020, saving 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Cash to fund the project to replace the city’s bus fleet with zero-emission electric buses along with charging infrastructure has come from combination of government funding and investment from National Express.
Speaking about the latest milestone, councillor Jim O’Boyle, the city council’s cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change, said: "This is great news. It’s a significant step towards the decarbonisation of the city’s transport network, building on the Council’s investment in a public chargepoint network, and our investment in new cycle routes.
"I’ve used the new electric buses and they’re very smart, comfortable to ride on, and, most importantly, are good for our environment." Alex Jensen, CEO National Express UK & Germany, added: "We’re incredibly proud to play our part in making Coventry the UK’s first All-Electric Bus City.
"By working together with our partners at TfWM, Coventry City Council and Zenobē we have made great progress in creating a greener and more efficient public transport system for our customers. As we have some of the cheapest ticket fares in England, alongside flexible ticketing, our customers can have the confidence that they are doing their bit for the planet when they ditch the car and travel by bus.”
Sign up for our daily newsletter here for all the latest news about Coventry.
