Wrightbus eyes global transport leader status with four new EVs
Northern Irish bus firm Wrightbus has unveiled four new all-electric vehicles to boost its pioneering EV product range.
The four new vehicles are six-metre and a nine-metre buses, and a 7.5-tonne truck available in either left or right-hand drive. They will be produced by Chinese manufacturer, King Long and sold via Wrightbus’s new Rightech brand across the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Europe.
The Ballymena firm said that it had already secured orders across its target markets and had signed four letters of intent with service providers in Germany, France and Benelux, in addition to the Wrightbus regional service headquarters in Brühl.
The new vehicles will be supported by a Wrightbus warranty, service and maintenance package, comprising the largest fleet of mobile technicians in the UK.
Rightech has also struck a service agreement with Sapphire – an EV charger provider – for the UK. The agreement adds 14 regional workshops to the existing three operated by Wrightbus in Ballymena, Bicester and Warwick. Ryze Power, part of a portfolio of net zero companies run by Wrightbus owner Jo Bamford, will provide ‘class-leading’ charging infrastructure and expertise.
The launch follows a period of record growth for Wrightbus, which was named the fastest-growing bus manufacturer in Europe and now boasts 2,200 employees. The company has factories in Northern Ireland and Malaysia, as well as service centres in the UK, Northern Ireland and Germany.
A strategic framework agreement with two Chinese manufacturers provides the basis for the upcoming EVs. Wrightbus engineers have spent more than 30,000 hours testing, homologating, designing and validating the new vehicles.
Wrightbus CEO, Jean-Marc Gales explained that the diversification of the brand’s portfolio will help the company reach its objective of becoming a global brand.
“We want to be a global mobility business and to do this we need to broaden our product portfolio,” he said.
“Wrightbus has been flying the flag for zero emissions long before anyone else. Our hydrogen double-decker was the world’s first and we have 1,700 electric buses on the road. These cover millions of miles across the UK and Europe with an in-service availability of 98.6%.
“Our factory continues to increase production of full-size single and double-deck buses. To meet demand in the zero-emission midi-bus sector, this partnership makes sense. The quickest way to decarbonise truck and bus fleets is to electrify immediately.
“Rightech will solve these problems, backed by our portfolio of net-zero companies – supplying everything from product to infrastructure – which will provide more jobs and opportunities for our workforce in Northern Ireland, the rest of the UK and Europe.”
