The low-entry 12-metre bus is powered by the combination of a 100-kW Ballard fuel cell and the Voith Electrical Drive System, delivering 410-kW peak power.

Formally inaugurated on 16 September, the production line is housed in a 10,000-square-metre building near MCV’s existing facilities.

Hexagon’s Type 4 hydrogen cylinders store hydrogen at 350 bar and are designed specifically for use in buses.

To date, Warrington has put 56 of the Volvo ‘BZL Electric’ buses on the road, and it aims to deploy the remainder by the end of March.

The new model is a battery electric version of the longstanding ‘8900’ range, designed for extended city, intercity, and commuter operations.

MCV will produce the buses under licence at its facility in Egypt, employing chassis supplied from Volvo’s factories in Sweden.

Volvo will supply 150 double deck and 20 single deck buses based on its ‘BZL Electric’ chassis to Stagecoach, who will put them on the roads of Manchester from Summer 2024.

The letter expands on a pre-existing deal to sell MCV-bodied Volvo buses in the UK.

The MCV-bodied Volvo buses, comprising 150 double deck and 20 single deck, will be delivered to Stagecoach in the summer of 2024, serving in the town of Stockport in Greater Manchester.

48 single deck buses, based on Volvo's BZL Electric chassis platform, and 39 double deck buses by Wrightbus will enter service in Greater London and southern Hertfordshire next year.

Volvo Bus UK & Ireland changes electrification strategy for the right hand drive markets of the UK and Ireland to offer new e-chassis and body combination for both single deck and double deck with Egypt’s MCV.