It will trial the ‘StreetDeck Electroliner’, a double decker with seating for up to 74 passengers and a range of up to 200 miles.

A pilot scheme involving four Wrightbus ‘Hydroliners’ will start early next year, transporting workers to and from the construction site near Leiston.

The bus manufacturer said it is looking to fill around 100 skilled and semi-skilled production positions at its factory in Northern Ireland, along with 50 apprenticeships.

The bus fleet consists of 20 Wrightbus GB Kite Hydrolider hydrogen fuel cell electric buses which are to be operated in the Crawley, Horley and Gatwick Airport areas of Great Britain.

The announcement builds on a previous guarantee on a GBP26m loan from last year.

Gales brings with him over 30 years’ experience in the automotive industry, including firms such as Peugeot and Citroen.

First Bus will convert the Leicester depot by installing new electric charging infrastructure provided by Heliox.

The Net Zero Hydrogen Fund was launched in May 2022 to provide up to GBP240m to support new low-carbon and renewable hydrogen production projects in the UK - 15 recipients were awarded in the first funding round.

117 zero-emission buses are to be manufactured by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland and operated by FirstBus across the UK.

99 double deck and 5 single deck ‘Electroliner’ battery-electric buses will join the fleet of Go-Ahead, who will put them into service in the city of Oxford from late 2023.

The production facility will be built by Hygen Energy, an Oxford-based firm led by Wrightbus owner and Chairman Jo Bamford.

30 ‘Electroliner’ buses have been ordered by Abellio which are funded through non-recourse financing from a consortium led by Rock Road Holdings Ltd of London and the Mayor of London’s Energy Efficiency Fund.