An event at the First Bus depot in Leicester has launched a new partnership between the company and Centrica under which Centrica will get access to First Bus’ rapid electric vehicle charging infrastructure at bus depots nationwide.
This new deal sees Centrica join the ranks of Openreach, DPD and Police Scotland, plugging into this shared infrastructure initiative from First Bus.
The initial phase of the partnership will enable Centrica to charge a selection of its EV fleet at First Bus’ Leicester depot while buses are out on the road in service. This allows Centrica engineers to cover more ground, reduce their environmental impact, and dedicate more time to the needs of their customers. The partnership then has the potential to extend to further depots across the bus operator’s UK infrastructure in the future.
Centrica currently has more than 3,000 electric vehicles in its fleet but its aiming to convert all its diesel vehicles to zero-emissions by 2030.
Rob Simister, Director of Fleet Operations at Centrica, said: “As we continue to electrify our fleet, we’re always looking for innovative ways to0 addresssoem of the operational challenges that come with such a large transition. This partnership with First Bus will mean were more effective at getting to our customers, while speeding up the rollout of our electric vehicles.”
