A new initiative in Oxfordshire will see old, polluting diesel vehicles converted with electric powertrains as a Labour minister hinted at new rules to crack down on non-zero emission buses.
Wrightbus has announced plans to create 50 additional jobs at its NewPower factory in Oxfordshire, which opened on Thursday, February 27
The zero emission transport leader is ramping up its transformation of diesel buses to electric at the state-of-the-art facility in Bicester.
The company launched NewPower in 2024 to give bus operators an instant sustainability switch, with the factory being officially opened by Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood.
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The newly opened factory will “re-power” diesel vehicles to run on electric powertrains
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The process involves taking mid-life diesel buses and replacing their engines with zero-emission electric powertrains.
During his visit, Lightwood, who represents Wakefield and Rothwell for Labour, saw the repowering process first-hand.
He said: “Great to officially open Wrightbus’s New Power facility and see how they’re breathing a clean new life into old diesel buses, helping us meet our climate goals.
“We are committed to supporting decarbonisation, with our incoming Bus Services Bill including a measure to bring an end to the use of new diesel or petrol buses on most English bus routes from no earlier than 2030.”
The 40,000 sq ft facility currently employs 65 people, with plans to add 50 more jobs once production targets are met. This includes the aim of repowering 250 buses annually at the Bicester plant.
The company is the first original equipment manufacturer to offer a repowering service, with several re-powered buses already operating on UK streets.
Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Wrightbus, was the former chief of Lotus, helped turn the company around, growing it to 2,200 staff and predicted revenues of £1billion by 2027.
He said: “We were delighted to show Mr Lightwood the importance of what we are doing here at NewPower.
“Repowering diesels gives them a 10-year second life and is a hugely affordable solution to operators.
“We believe the Department for Transport should ensure Mayors and councils have the full range of UK-made technologies available to speed up their delivery of decarbonisation and improved air quality commitments.”
Traditional buses consume around 40,000 litres of diesel per year, highlighting the substantial benefits to air quality with the re-powered vehicles.
Zero-emission buses manufactured by Wrightbus have already travelled over 47 million miles and prevented more than 80,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
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Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood visited the site this week
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Wrightbus also manufacturers the world’s first double-decker hydrogen fuel cell bus and the iconic London Routemaster.
The hydrogen fuel cell buses take just eight minutes to refuel and have over 300 miles of zero emission range.