Reynolds is reportedly splitting his time between the main facility in Northern Ireland and the new retrofit location in Bicester.

These partners will collaborate on the development and integration of hydrogen fuel cell technology into commercial vehicles, aiming to create high-performance drivetrains optimised for UK conditions.

Wrightbus says it has worked for two years on a 6x2 chassis which can cope with fixed axle and steering axle configurations and can allow for extra battery packs without reducing passenger capacity.

Wrightbus says the financial support will fund the long build-cycle of its buses, enabling it to accelerate production at its bus plants.

The 6-metre bus will serve in Ebbsfleet Valley, an area of major urban development between the Kentish towns of Dartford and Gravesend.

The Northern Irish bus manufacturer announced its re-entry into the British coach market with the launch of a new diesel model and the promised launch of a fuel cell electric variant in the near future.

Wrightbus’ ‘Streetdeck Hydroliner Gen 2.0’ was developed over four years as part of a project which was 50% funded by a grant from the Advanced Propulsion Centre.

The brand, called ‘Rightech’, has a strategic framework agreement with two Chinese manufacturers to distribute and service four vehicle models, two of which are trucks.

The ‘StreetDeck Ultroliner’, which was originally launched in 2014, will now be offered with a Cummins ‘B6.7’ engine, replacing the six-cylinder Daimler ‘OM936’ which was used before.

The Northern Irish bus manufacturer says that the acquisition of RGI will mean that its retrofit business, dubbed ‘NewPower’, will now be able to refurbish old buses in addition to replacing their engines with electric powertrains.

Stagecoach told Truck & Bus Builder that the 715 buses come from a range of different suppliers, including: Alexander Dennis; Wrightbus; Pelican Yutong; and Volvo Buses.

Over 90% of these will be zero-emission, drawn from the manufacturer’s ranges of battery electric and fuel cell electric single and double deckers.