Reading borough further expands electric bus fleet
The buses will be delivered to Reading Buses – the public transport operator for the area – bringing its total number of Enviro400EV double deckers on fleet up to 32, following an earlier order of 24 vehicles. It follows the receipt of additional government funding for zero-emission buses following a joint bid by the borough council and Reading Buses. The delivery of the buses will enable them to electrify the yellow 26 route.
The Enviro400EVs are being built to Reading Buses’ custom requirements, with high-back seating, USB charging, AC, social seating, and other features. They’ll be powered by the Voith Electrical Drive System with 472kWh batteries. These will be integrated with a HVAC system from the British firm Grayson Thermal Solutions.
Robert Williams, Chief Executive Officer for Reading Buses, said in a statement: “We were delighted to gain the opportunity to extend our plans for Zero Emission Buses in the Reading Area, and look forward to the improvement in customer experience the new buses are expected to deliver to our network of brightly coloured 24/7 urban bus services. Our detailed specification includes café style flooring, high back seats with USB charging, social seating, no rattly items, a glazed staircase and rooflights, LED mood lighting, two wheelchair bays, and audio visual next stop information system.”
The eight Enviro400EVs will join 24 similar buses that have been funded by the Zero-Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA 2) scheme, which are currently under construction and are set for deployment on the purple 17 and claret 21 routes from August.
Reading has received a total of £1.35m in funding from the government, all of which appears to be going towards supporting the introduction of the 8 new Alexander Dennis vehicles. This funding round sits on top of the ZEBRA scheme, and will provide £37.8m in subsidies for the purchasing of zero-emission buses nationally, or around €44.1m.
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