Lothian Buses is scheduled to take delivery of the first batch of vehicles in 2024, going into service on Edinburgh’s streets in spring. The 50 double deckers will feature MCV bodywork and be built to Lothian’s specifications.
“Lothian put our Volvo BZL Electric demonstrator through its paces for five months, exceeding expectations for the vehicle’s operation in a region that sees some of the UK’s coldest temperatures,” says Domenico Bondi, Managing Director of Volvo Bus UK & Ireland. “We are confident the Volvo BZL Electric will play a pivotal role in supporting our customers’ ambitious net-zero strategy. With Lothian, we look forward to continuing our partnership to achieve our common goal of a more sustainable tomorrow.”
The latest order from Lothian Buses follows the trajectory seen so far in the UK market this year, which saw Volvo Buses’ largest electric bus order to date for 170 Volvo BZL Electric buses from Stagecoach Manchester in May. It helped secure Stagecoach’s place as Volvo’s biggest electric bus customer thus far, globally. In July, Volvo Buses received another of its largest ever electric bus orders, for 105 Volvo BZL Electric buses from Warrington Borough Council. The local authority secured the order to replace Warrington’s entire fleet of diesel buses for the town between Liverpool and Manchester.
“To support the transition of the bus industry to electromobility, we’re focusing on making our processes, as sustainable, safe and reliable as possible,” says Dan Pettersson, SVP at Volvo Buses. “I’m pleased to see the results of our dedication materialise through our products and expertise, which will now help to reduce emissions in the busy capital of Scotland.”
The 50 Volvo BZL Electric buses ordered by Lothian will feature Volvo’s pure electric driveline comprising of a 200kW electric motor coupled to a two-stage automated gearbox. Each vehicle has been specified with five batteries giving the maximum 470kW/h of onboard energy storage offering flexibility in operations and superior uptime. This can be extended during operation thanks to a regenerative braking system which enables a proportion of the energy that would otherwise have been lost when the vehicle is decelerating to be recovered as free, clean, energy.
Gothenburg
5 October 2023
For more information, contact: Joakim Kenndal, Head of Media Relations, Volvo Buses, phone: +46 739 02 51 50 or email: joakim.kenndal@volvo.com or Domenico Bondi, Managing Director, phone: +44 07716085248 email: domenico.bondi@volvo.com.
