Zenobē, a pioneer in electric transport vehicles, has partnered with Big Bus Tours to transform London's tourism experience by providing 20 sustainable open-top buses and associated charging infrastructure.
Booking.com data shows that 79% of global travelers say they want to use environmentally friendly transportation during their vacation.
The agreement includes Zenobē financing the e-buses in the company's first retrofit project, as well as providing a power purchase agreement (PPA) to enable Big Bus to be more proactive and agile with its energy costs. there is.
Big Bus' existing 10-year-old open-top Ankai diesel buses are converting from diesel to electric after being recharged with 328kWh LG Chem batteries and powertrains from Equipmake Limited.
Zenobē has also installed ten temporary direct current (DC) chargers at Big Buses' Wimbledon warehouse. This solution allowed Big Bus to get its retrofitted vehicles on the road in time for the busy spring and summer seasons and before local power grid upgrades were completed.
The last of the first 10 buses are already in service, with an additional 10 expected to be in service by the end of the year.
According to Zenobē founder Steven Meersman, the company is focused on bringing cleaner transport to London.
“Research shows that travelers are increasingly looking for ways to reduce the impact of their holidays and major operators such as Big Bus are recognizing that using electric vehicles is not only the right thing to do, it is also a competitive advantage,” he said.
“We’re excited to be exploring more opportunities like this to accelerate the decarbonization of the UK’s transport sector.”
“We take great pride in leading the shift to electric vehicles in the tourism industry,” said Pat Waterman, President of Big Bus Tours.
“Our commitment to sustainability is more than just words. “We are taking concrete steps to ensure a cleaner, greener future for our customers, future generations and the planet.”