What is said to be the world’s first hydrogen powered double decker bus stopped off at the Baxi factory in Bamber Bridge, on its way to the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.
The Wrightbus StreetDeck Hydroliner visited the boiler manufacturer at the midway point on its journey from London to Scotland to show world leaders how green public transport can be.
The Hydroliner will go on to visit a number of companies working on hydrogen-related solutions on its journey to COP26, as pressure to produce hydrogen fuelled appliances increases, in an effort to achieve net zero by 2050.
The environmentally friendly vehicle takes just eight minutes to refuel and has a range of up to 250 miles. It can accommodate 86 passengers and its hydrogen tank takes up to 1,120 litres of the liquid gas. On top of all of this – it is 100 per cent green, with water being the only by-product.
Jeff House at Baxi, commented: “While we know hydrogen is not a silver bullet when it comes to emissions, it does present a great opportunity as it is carbon-free at the point of use and requires minimal changes inside consumer’s homes. This is why getting involved with this project was so important to us.”
Wrightbus and Ryze CEO, Buta Atwal, said: “We’ve long been excited about the potential benefits of hydrogen, not only in helping the UK to achieve a huge CO2 reduction, but in terms of the green jobs and wider economic benefits that a strong hydrogen sector can bring.
“This tour is really highlighting the fantastic innovation happening up and down the country at firms such as Baxi as we move towards a zero-carbon future – and is highlighting the collaborations needed to make this a reality.”
Wrightbus, which is based in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, plans to roll out 3,000 of its hydrogen-powered buses by the year 2024. Work has also started on the development of a single deck version that looks set to be on the market soon.
