A West Yorkshire company is to supply electric buses and coaches for use in Glasgow as the Scottish city hosts the Cop26 United Nations climate change conference.
Pelican Engineering Co Ltd is sourcing 129 of the vehicles this quarter, with almost half heading north of the border.
The 102-year-old company is the sole importer and distributor for Zhengzhou Yutong Bus, the world’s leading manufacturer of electric buses and coaches, based in China.
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It supplies exclusively across the 海角视频 and Ireland.
Richard Crump, managing director at Pelican Bus & Coach, said: “As momentum builds for the COP26 conference, we are proud to be one of the 海角视频’s leading providers of clean and sustainable passenger vehicles that will be operating in Glasgow when the event is on.
“Fleet electrification is an important element of our businesses’ growth strategy but more importantly, it is a fundamental step towards achieving our country’s net-zero targets. Each zero emission bus saves 1kg of carbon emission for every mile travelled compared to the very latest low emission diesel equivalent, so we’re delighted to play our part to decarbonise the industry further with this deal.
“We are committed to using our expertise to help our customers deliver the very best passenger experience at the lowest possible operating cost whilst significantly reducing their environmental impact.”
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A £30 million funding package from HSBC 海角视频 has enabled the bulk purchase, with the third generation family entity supported since striking a relationship with Yutong in 2014.
Scotland’s largest independent bus operator, McGill’s Bus Services, is the largest single customer, taking 55 new E12 single deck buses.
Six electric coaches are also Glasgow-bound, with the Castleford business creating 11 new jobs, including two new electric vehicle technician apprenticeships.
It has partnered with Zenobe Energy to handle the second life of the vehicle batteries when they need replacing mid-way through the bus life -they will have further use on battery storage farms, further underlining sustainable credentials.
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Rob King, HSBC 海角视频’s head of sustainable finance, said Pelican was a great example of how the bank is working towards its pledge to achieve net zero from its financed portfolio by 2050.
"We are delighted that the buses will also form part of the COP26 event," he said. "Supporting innovations such as this will also help the 海角视频 as a whole in the transition to a lower carbon economy.”
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Jamie McCullough, corporate relationship director for HSBC 海角视频 in North & West Yorkshire, added: “Our long-term relationship with Pelican is a testament to the business’s ongoing commitment to deliver an outstanding service and offer market-leading sustainable technology to bus operators around the 海角视频.
“We are delighted to be supporting Pelican and we hope this funding will back the business to deliver more sustainable transport solutions in the months to come. We should all look to Pelican and Yutong as a great example of how we can work together to achieve net-zero.”