Horiba MIRA urges UK bus operators to retrofit electric drive systems amid £220m ebus pledge
By Jim Gibbins - 1st December 2019
UK – Following a pledge by the UK government to create Britain’s first ‘all-electric bus towns’, automotive engineering, testing and R&D consultancy, Horiba MIRA Ltd of Nuneaton, UK is advising operators to consider converting their existing bus fleets from diesel powered units to electric drive systems as a way to helping the UK to achieve a cleaner public transport network.
The UK government recently announced funding of GBP220m to overhaul bus services in the UK. Sajid Javid, Chancellor of the Exchequer announcing this in late September said GBP50m of this funding be used to develop one and possibly two all-electric bus towns, which would see an entire town’s buses converted to wireless electric vehicles. Meanwhile, to cut pollution and operating costs, operators of existing country buses are expected to be encouraged to be transitioned to hybrid drive systems, to enable zero emission operation in designated built-up areas and clean diesel in less densely settled areas.
