Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has completed its one-month trial of a Yutong electric bus powered by Zeelo on its Gaydon site employee commuter service.
The trial consisted of a 24-mile round-trip service that amounted to 985 miles across the month, with JLR estimating that full-time operation of the vehicle across all of its site routes would reduce its CO2 emissions by 2,500 cubic tonnes per year.
This would contribute to the car manufacturer’s commitment to becoming carbon net zero by 2039.
In January, Zeelo, provider of carbon neutral smart buses, announced it had partnered with distributor Pelican Engineering and infrastructure specialist Zenobē to offer battery electric trial coaches to operators.
The initiative gives six fleet operators an opportunity to trial a Zeelo-branded Yutong TCe12 electric vehicle provided by Pelican for one month, enabling them to assess the capabilities of commutes and charging requirements.
Zenobē is supplying its portable charging infrastructure to provide a reliable electricity supply to sites where power is constrained.
The EV fleet and battery storage specialist is also providing power analysis, infrastructure design, vehicle and infrastructure financing, energy efficient charging, operational guarantees and power purchase agreements.
Joanne Hill, JLR’s Leadership, Purpose and Talent Consultant at Gaydon, said: “The free commuter bus service that Jaguar Land Rover runs between Gaydon and Whitley sites is easy to use, reliable and I like the fact that electric buses are now being considered by my employer.
“I know many people would opt to travel by electric bus and leave their car at home if such a service became readily available.”
