France – Smart battery systems supplier, Forsee Power SAS of Paris, France, announced that it will supply the battery systems for the first public school buses to be retrofitted in Métropole of Rouen Normandie, France, by the end of 2023. Greenmot of Villefranche sur Saone will handle the electrification of the 49 Iveco Crossway buses, which will see Forsee supply battery systems from its ZEN SLIM range made up of 11, 16 and 21 kWh modules with charging infrastructure provided by Comeca, all subsidised by the French government under plans to reduce GHG in the country. The diesel coaches are currently five years old, and once retrofitted will run on the 'Astuce' school route network.

Sébastien Rembauville-Nicolle, Vice-President of Business Development at Forsee Power, explained:

This first school bus retrofit project is an important step in the development of zero-emission collective and public transport. Our ultra-flat ZEN SLIM battery systems are an ideal solution for this type of passenger transport application. Over the past 12 months, retrofitting has become an essential solution for decarbonising transport, to accelerate the energy transition while optimizing operators' investments. We are currently working on numerous retrofit projects for trucks and other industrial vehicles, all over the world.