One of the largest double-decker electric bus orders in history just went down in the UK. Stagecoach, one of the UK’s largest coach and bus operators, has ordered 150 electric double-decker electric buses as well as 39 single-decker electric buses from Volvo Buses. This is the largest electric bus order Volvo Buses has ever received.
Image courtesy of Volvo
The Volvo BZL Electric buses will go into operation in Stockport and London in late 2023 and in 2024, with most of them headed for Stockport riders in the summer of 2024. All 150 double-deckers and 20 of the single-deckers will go to Stockport, which is on the edge of Manchester. Those buses “will feature MCV bodywork built to Transport for Manchester specifications.”
The remaining 19 Volvo BZL Electric buses are for London. Presumably, though, London will get many more buses in the future. One would think that has to be the case. These 19 buses will go into operation in late 2023 and early 2024 for London passengers.
Image courtesy of Volvo
These 189 Volvo electric buses join another 55 that Stagecoach has ordered from Volvo Buses — 25 of those (single-deckers) have called Scotland home since March and 30 (double-deckers) have called Cambridge home since last month, May.
“Stagecoach was our first Volvo BZL Electric customer in the UK, so it’s an honour to now be supplying these buses at scale,” says Anna Westerberg, President of Volvo Buses. “The strengthening of this partnership illustrates how our product and expertise can support public transport networks to reduce emissions.”
“We’re excited to be announcing our largest electric vehicle order to date, which will be a major step forward in improving air quality locally,” says Sam Greer, Engineering Director for Stagecoach. “This builds further on the investment being made by Stagecoach across the country to support the transition to a zero-emission bus fleet.”
Toward the end of 2022, Transport for London bus operator Metroline ordered 48 Volvo BZL Electric single-deckers. Those will go into operation in the second half of 2023.
Image courtesy of Volvo
In April of this year, Volvo Buses got to work lining up more of the production capacity for its growing electric bus order log. The company “signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the bodybuilder MCV (Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles) with the intention to produce bodies for its electric buses for the city- and intercity segments in European markets.” Serial production of these buses begins this summer. The first of those buses will be delivered in early 2025. “The intention is that MCV under license will produce bodies for the city buses Volvo 7900 Electric and the Volvo 7900 Electric Artic with both two and three axles. For the intercity segment Volvo Buses and MCV will work together to develop an electric offer. As earlier communicated, chassis production will remain at Volvo Buses’ plants in Borås and Uddevalla, Sweden.”
Image courtesy of Volvo
The electric bus revolution is underway in Europe, and Volvo Buses is looking to play a bigger and bigger role.
All images courtesy of Volvo
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