Latest news with #Wrightbus
Belfast Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Wrightbus secures new order for six new double decker buses for English city's transport service
The Ballymena bus-maker will provide half a dozen ultra-low emission diesel buses for Nottingham City Transport. The vehicles will be used for a long-distance route between Nottingham and Southwell. Production is due to start soon on the buses in the Ballymena factory, and they are set to begin service in Nottingham by the 'late autumn' of this year. The buses will have free WiFi and USB chargers, along with a table on the upper-deck and accessibility features including two wheelchair spaces, hearing loops and 'next stop displays that all customers can see.' Wrightbus currently employs over 2,300 people, and this year aims to produce 1,200 buses from its Ballymena factory. The company says that by 2027, it 'expects to support 7,200 UK supply chain jobs'. Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Wrightbus, said: "The combination of the latest generation of engines from Cummins and the latest technology from Voith, coupled with our industry-leading Micro Hybrid technology, means these StreetDeck Ultroliners offer optimal efficiency in the diesel market. 'We're delighted that Wrightbus ultra-low emission vehicles that have been designed and built here in the UK will soon be on the streets of Nottingham, offering passengers a comfortable journey while also helping to lower emissions. "While we are proudly known for being the largest provider of zero emission buses in Europe, the fact remains that not all operators can access the funding to make the immediate switch to zero-emission. 'As a leading bus manufacturer, our role is to make sure our diesel buses are as clean and efficient as possible and to ensure we can give them a second life as a zero-emission bus in the future through our NewPower business. 'Our blended approach to responsible technology, which includes battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and the cleanest technologies, ensures our customers can continue to decarbonise while maintaining financially viable operations.' David Astill, managing director at Nottingham City Transport, said: 'We are delighted to be working with Wrightbus to deliver a significant upgrade to our Pathfinder service, replacing buses that are over a decade old with brand new, quieter, low emission buses that will boast features that are designed for the long distance nature of the route. 'As one of our longest bus routes, battery electric buses aren't a viable or realistic option for Pathfinder 26 currently or in the immediate future, but these buses can be repowered by Wrightbus and their NewPower business in the future to be fully electric, which will be something we'll consider when battery technology advances further.' News Catch Up - Thursday 22 May The order is the latest secured in England by the famous bus company. Wrightbus has provided a large number of buses for use in London, and has recently announced an order of six EV vehicles for Kent. Outside the UK, the company has been doing a large amount of business in Germany, with an order for 28 hydrogen-powered buses with the Saarland-based firm Saarbahn.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Net zero push risks exodus of jobs to China, warns JCB heir
Ed Miliband's race to embrace net zero is fuelling an exodus of jobs to China, the heir to the JCB empire has warned. Jo Bamford, the owner of Wrightbus and son of JCB founder Lord Bamford, said the Energy Secretary's desire to decarbonise the grid was flawed because it is too reliant on importing green energy equipment from the Far East. Instead, he urged the Government to become a leader in hydrogen to safeguard jobs. He told The Telegraph: 'If you just electrify everything without thinking about what the implications are, then you'll lose a lot of jobs to China. 'You need to electrify a lot of stuff. Certain things are great for it, like cars – fantastic. But anything that's big and heavy ... Yes, you can electrify them, but it's probably not the best use of the electrification process. 'So I'm not anti-electrification. But I'm saying that most of the manufacturing jobs in that area have been taken by China already.' The entrepreneur said Britain's experience from the oil and gas industry made it well-suited to tackle the challenges of hydrogen and called on Mr Miliband to pump more investment into the sector. He said: 'We're highlighting that we [the UK] can be experts in the world of hydrogen. The Government really needs to understand that foundation industries – cement plants, glass, brewing, – they all need a gas of some form or another. It's difficult to to electrify them. 'I can make hydrogen between midnight and six o'clock in the morning quite cheaply. And you can deliver it today in London.' Mr Bamford is a leading figure in the consortium proposing the £6.5bn HySpeed project, which aims to develop hydrogen-producing hubs in the UK that would pump the carbon-free gas throughout the country. Hydrogen has been suggested as a green 'superfuel' that its supporters claim could one day be used in power plants, buses, aircraft and cars. But critics argue that hydrogen, which requires a lot of power to produce through electrolysis, should be focused only on industries that are most difficult to decarbonise, rather than heating or mass transport. This is also partly because it is less energy-efficient to burn than natural gas and more difficult to contain due to its 'leaky' nature. But Mr Bamford dismissed the concerns of academic 'commentators', who he said had little experience of building real-world things. He argued that hydrogen could create jobs in the UK and reduce the risk of relying entirely on electrified solutions. HySpeed is seeking support for about 1 gigawatt hour of hydrogen production per year through a contract for difference (CfD), the type of subsidy awarded to wind farms to guarantee a set price for their output. His company, Wrightbus, also sells hydrogen buses as well as battery-powered buses. Mr Bamford warned that focusing on electrification only would decimate traditional UK industries that will struggle to eliminate fossil fuels from their processes. Official figures this week revealed that production from energy-intensive industries had plunged by a third in just three years due to sky-high power and gas costs, taking output to the lowest level since records began in 1990. Mr Bamford said: 'If you don't figure out a way to give the industry a gas and allow them to make their process, then of course they're going to leave. 'And when a cement plant goes, you can import that from anywhere else in the world. When a glass factory goes, you can import that from anywhere else in the world. But these are foundation industries, not in capital cities but up and down the country, that provide long-term jobs. 'We can't electrify them, even if we tried. So hydrogen is going to have to be the solution. 'Electrification doesn't give you long-term jobs, and it doesn't give you a lot of the things in the supply chain. When a factory makes stuff and is incubated, that's there for the next 50 years. It's very difficult to pick it up.' He also warned that focusing exclusively on electric solutions would begin to cause 'grid issues'. 'How do you put in another bus depot, or how do you put in a data centre?' Mr Bamford said. 'At the moment, we have three motorways, in effect. We move energy through the electricity networks, we move it through the gas networks, and we pick up oil and gas and move it around in trucks. 'But if your strategy is to take the most congested network and make it 10 times more congested and get rid of the other two motorway networks, that's going to fall over.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Net zero push risks exodus of jobs to China, warns JCB heir
Ed Miliband's race to embrace net zero is fuelling an exodus of jobs to China, the heir to the JCB empire has warned. Jo Bamford, the owner of Wrightbus and son of JCB founder Lord Bamford, said the Energy Secretary's desire to decarbonise the grid was flawed because it is too reliant on importing green energy equipment from the Far East. Instead, he urged the Government to become a leader in hydrogen to safeguard jobs. He told The Telegraph: 'If you just electrify everything without thinking about what the implications are, then you'll lose a lot of jobs to China. 'You need to electrify a lot of stuff. Certain things are great for it, like cars – fantastic. But anything that's big and heavy ... Yes, you can electrify them, but it's probably not the best use of the electrification process. 'So I'm not anti-electrification. But I'm saying that most of the manufacturing jobs in that area have been taken by China already.' The entrepreneur said Britain's experience from the oil and gas industry made it well-suited to tackle the challenges of hydrogen and called on Mr Miliband to pump more investment into the sector. He said: 'We're highlighting that we [the UK] can be experts in the world of hydrogen. The Government really needs to understand that foundation industries – cement plants, glass, brewing, – they all need a gas of some form or another. It's difficult to to electrify them. 'I can make hydrogen between midnight and six o'clock in the morning quite cheaply. And you can deliver it today in London.' Mr Bamford is a leading figure in the consortium proposing the £6.5bn HySpeed project, which aims to develop hydrogen-producing hubs in the UK that would pump the carbon-free gas throughout the country. Hydrogen has been suggested as a green 'superfuel' that its supporters claim could one day be used in power plants, buses, aircraft and cars.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Net zero push risks exodus of jobs to China, warns JCB heir
Ed Miliband's race to embrace net zero is fuelling an exodus of jobs to China, the heir to the JCB empire has warned. Jo Bamford, the owner of Wrightbus and son of JCB founder Lord Bamford, said the Energy Secretary's desire to decarbonise the grid was flawed because it is too reliant on importing green energy equipment from the Far East. Instead, he urged the Government to become a leader in hydrogen to safeguard jobs. He told The Telegraph: 'If you just electrify everything without thinking about what the implications are, then you'll lose a lot of jobs to China. 'You need to electrify a lot of stuff. Certain things are great for it, like cars – fantastic. But anything that's big and heavy ... Yes, you can electrify them, but it's probably not the best use of the electrification process. 'So I'm not anti-electrification. But I'm saying that most of the manufacturing jobs in that area have been taken by China already.' The entrepreneur said Britain's experience from the oil and gas industry made it well-suited to tackle the challenges of hydrogen and called on Mr Miliband to pump more investment into the sector. He said: 'We're highlighting that we [the UK] can be experts in the world of hydrogen. The Government really needs to understand that foundation industries – cement plants, glass, brewing, – they all need a gas of some form or another. It's difficult to to electrify them. 'I can make hydrogen between midnight and six o'clock in the morning quite cheaply. And you can deliver it today in London.' Mr Bamford is a leading figure in the consortium proposing the £6.5bn HySpeed project, which aims to develop hydrogen-producing hubs in the UK that would pump the carbon-free gas throughout the country. Hydrogen has been suggested as a green 'superfuel' that its supporters claim could one day be used in power plants, buses, aircraft and cars. But critics argue that hydrogen, which requires a lot of power to produce through electrolysis, should be focused only on industries that are most difficult to decarbonise, rather than heating or mass transport. This is also partly because it is less energy-efficient to burn than natural gas and more difficult to contain due to its 'leaky' nature. But Mr Bamford dismissed the concerns of academic 'commentators', who he said had little experience of building real-world things. He argued that hydrogen could create jobs in the UK and reduce the risk of relying entirely on electrified solutions. HySpeed is seeking support for about 1 gigawatt hour of hydrogen production per year through a contract for difference (CfD), the type of subsidy awarded to wind farms to guarantee a set price for their output. His company, Wrightbus, also sells hydrogen buses as well as battery-powered buses. Mr Bamford warned that focusing on electrification only would decimate traditional UK industries that will struggle to eliminate fossil fuels from their processes. Official figures this week revealed that production from energy-intensive industries had plunged by a third in just three years due to sky-high power and gas costs, taking output to the lowest level since records began in 1990. Mr Bamford said: 'If you don't figure out a way to give the industry a gas and allow them to make their process, then of course they're going to leave. 'And when a cement plant goes, you can import that from anywhere else in the world. When a glass factory goes, you can import that from anywhere else in the world. But these are foundation industries, not in capital cities but up and down the country, that provide long-term jobs. 'We can't electrify them, even if we tried. So hydrogen is going to have to be the solution. 'Electrification doesn't give you long-term jobs, and it doesn't give you a lot of the things in the supply chain. When a factory makes stuff and is incubated, that's there for the next 50 years. It's very difficult to pick it up.' He also warned that focusing exclusively on electric solutions would begin to cause 'grid issues'. 'How do you put in another bus depot, or how do you put in a data centre?' Mr Bamford said. 'At the moment, we have three motorways, in effect. We move energy through the electricity networks, we move it through the gas networks, and we pick up oil and gas and move it around in trucks. 'But if your strategy is to take the most congested network and make it 10 times more congested and get rid of the other two motorway networks, that's going to fall over.'
Belfast Telegraph
08-05-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Wrightbus secures £150m funding with HSBC deal as it ramps up production for worldwide market
Co Antrim 'clean and green' bus manufacturer Wrightbus has secured a £150m finance package as it prepares to ramp up production for its global market. The deal with HSBC UK more than doubles the Ballymena firm's existing funding. The money is being directed to 'develop new technologies and broaden the product offering', while also supporting Rightech and NewPower, two existing divisions of Wrightbus. NewPower is a branch of the business which converts diesel buses into electric vehicles, while Rightech sells four different battery-electric vehicles. The funding is also allowing the company to 'accelerate production at its factories in Northern Ireland and Malaysia'. Wrightbus, rescued from administration in 2019 by entrepreneur Jo Bamford, operates in Northern Ireland, England and in the Far East, including China and south-east Asia. The company now employs 2,300, making 1,200 buses a year. The firm has focused on zero-emission vehicles, including hydrogen and electric-powered buses. Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales said: 'This is an important day for everyone connected with Wrightbus – not just the 2,300 employees but the 7,500 jobs we support in the wider supply chain.' 'Our success is crucial to so many jobs and industries, so we must work relentlessly to keep up this progress. 'This deal is a crucial step as we accelerate our growth and invest in decarbonising public transport with electric and hydrogen-powered buses. 'Not only does it mean we can provide cleaner and greener vehicles to UK bus operators, it also provides us with foundations for broadening our international reach, with a particular focus on ramping up production in Malaysia as we expand into the Asia Pacific market.' Wrightbus Executive Chairman Jo Bamford said: 'With every new order and every entry into a new territory we're flying the flag for UK manufacturing. 'HSBC UK's support and detailed knowledge of our industry will help us lead the way in a new era for buses as we expand our offering across the globe.' Asset management firm HYCAP helped to structure the deal between HSBC and Wrightbus. George Saunders, capital markets director at the firm, said: 'The tailored solutions provided by HSBC deliver operational flexibility across the capital requirements of the business, enabling it to deliver electric and hydrogen buses at the speed and scale required to be a key transport decarbonisation partner.' Akhil Shah, relationship director from HSBC UK, said: 'Wrightbus is a remarkable UK success story. Having been bought out of administration just six years ago, the business has grown from employing around 50 people in 2019 to more than 2,300 today. 'HSBC UK's end-to-end experience across the public transport sector made us the ideal choice to become the business's main backer and this new injection of funding puts Wrightbus in prime position to deliver on its ambitious aims.' News Catch Up - Thursday 8 May Rohit Moudgil, head of manufacturing and industrials for HSBC UK, said: 'HSBC UK is proud to support Wrightbus who are contributing to the decarbonisation of the public transport system in the UK. 'The transaction underlines our commitment to supporting the entire zero-emission vehicle ecosystem, connecting manufacturers, supply chains and end customers. 'Our sector team and coverage bankers are committed to providing the financial solutions businesses need to accelerate UK's transition to zero-emission vehicles.'
