UK setting the pace on EV buses

The UK is on the road to having the largest electric bus fleet in Europe by 2024, with the number of buses projected to grow by close to 180% from approximately 1,000 to 2,800 vehicles.

This is according to forecasts by Accuracy, which has found that across Europe, the number of electric buses is forecast to increase by 189% over the next three years with substantial growth in France and the Nordic countries. Despite this, those countries are still forecasted to trail the number of UK ZE buses in 2024.

Aurélie Quéromès, manager at Accuracy said: “The growth in UK’s electric bus fleet has been driven by continued Government investment. Many countries are now stepping up investment into their electric bus fleet to meet their Zero Emission targets.”

In January, the Department for Transport announced Coventry and Oxford are set to become the UK’s first all-electric bus cities, replacing up to 500 buses across the two cities.

In March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled a £3bn National Bus Strategy, pledging to deliver 4,000 new British-built electric or hydrogen buses. Up to £120m of this funding is available through the zero-emission-buses regional (ZEBRA) scheme, allowing local transport authorities to bid for funding to purchase Zero Emission buses. The scheme is set to deliver up to 500 ZE buses to local authorities.

Quéromès continued: “The pandemic has had a huge impact on public transport across the world, so it is more important now than ever that governments continue to commit funds to Zero Emission infrastructure projects.”

“Manufacturers of electric buses may need support in the short term to help restart the supply chain of ZE buses. Therefore, governments and private investors could aim to bridge the funding gap between operators and manufacturers to ensure they meet climate change targets in time.”