Caerphilly in Wales is set to have the first fully-electric public transport hub in Britain by the end of the year, the county borough council has reported.
This is after the delivery of 16 new battery-electric buses, which Caerphilly County Borough Council said was a “positive step” towards improving “clean, green public transport”.
The £6.5m agreement for the new buses was made in 2018 in partnership with bus and coach operator Stagecoach, which has invested £3.6m in the project, along with support from the Cardiff Capital Region Transport Authority, Welsh government, and a further £2.9m in grant funding from the UK government.
The initiative was announced by the Department for Transport earlier this year under the Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme, which is aimed at cutting emissions and ensuring cleaner and more sustainable journeys.
Built by UK bus manufacturer Optare, the new MetroCity and Solo electric single-decker buses are expected to go into service later this year.
With a range of up to 190 miles per full charge, and a capacity to carry between 28-44 passengers, the buses will reportedly reduce annual CO2 by more than 572 tonnes compared to the current Euro III diesel fleet.
Investment has also been made in delivering infrastructure and power requirements at depot level.
Intelligent chargers are being used to limit loadings on the electricity supply and maximise vehicle availability. Buses can be charged simultaneously and automatically using off-peak electricity.
The council’s deputy leader, Sean Morgan, said: “We are working with partners to develop Caerphilly into a green transport hub, with a 16 vehicle fleet of zero-emission electric buses earmarked for Caerphilly in 2020 and with ambitions for Caerphilly town to have the first fully-electric public transport hub in Britain.
“The EV charging points, electric buses and plans for an electric bus-train interchange come on top of this Labour administration’s climate emergency pledge, which has an ambitious target for Caerphilly County Borough Council to become a net zero carbon local authority by 2030.”
The council also recently approved a new EV strategy for the county borough, which outlines plans to provide new EV infrastructure.
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