Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (NFI), one of the world’s leading independent global bus manufacturers, has welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement of the first £50 million phase of a new Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB).
The fund replaces previous funding streams and is designed to encourage the market to implement new and innovative ways to finance and deploy zero emission buses.
ScotZEB builds on the success of the Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS), which has enabled bus operators to order a total of 207 electric buses from the BYD ADL partnership over two funding rounds awarded in September 2020 and March 2021. Deliveries of these locally built zero emission vehicles will commence this autumn, ahead of the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference being held in Glasgow between 31st October and 12th November 2021.
ScotZEB was unveiled by Transport Minister Graeme Dey at the Bus Decarbonisation Taskforce, which brings together senior leaders from the energy, bus and finance sectors to co-design a pathway to a fully decarbonised bus fleet.
Dey said: “The Scottish Government has come to the table with an evolved offer for zero emission bus funding – building on the experience of previous schemes and designed in a way that maximises opportunities to attract sustainable financing and encourage innovative ways of doing so. £50 million is available in 2021 to help drive a green recovery, responding to the global climate emergency and to helping to improve air quality. I’m excited to see results from the ScotZEB Challenge Fund and expect to offer a larger pot of funding in 2022 once it demonstrates its success.”
ADL President & Managing Director, Paul Davies, welcomed the announcement: “The Scottish Government continues to lead the way in funding cleaner, greener buses. We look forward to working with bus operators and the energy and finance sectors to ensure the benefits of this funding are felt across communities in Scotland. Its investment in local supply chains such as our production of electric and hydrogen buses in Falkirk will underpin Scottish skilled jobs and apprenticeships that are vital for the transition to Net Zero.”
ADL’s zero emission bus offering for Scotland includes the battery-electric BYD ADL Enviro200EV single deck and BYD ADL Enviro400EV double deck buses built in partnership with battery technology experts BYD, as well as the hydrogen fuel cell-electric Enviro400FCEV that is part of H2.0, ADL’s second-generation hydrogen bus platform which will offer a range of up to 300 miles.
