The Generation 2 Electroliner offers dramatic improvements to range, charging speed, battery life, systems and warranty
Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales with the new Electroliner StreetDeck
By Robert Jack
“We have regained our crown,” Jean-Marc Gales declared at a briefing of the trade press in Ballymena this week. The Wrightbus CEO was speaking at the launch of the UK bus manufacturer’s most efficient battery-electric bus ever.
The Generation 2 Electroliner offers greater efficiency than its market-leading predecessor, with dramatic improvements to range, charging speed, battery life, HVAC systems and warranty.
With customers saving 11% on the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), Generation 2 buses have already been hailed by operators, with more than 900 Gen 2 Electroliners sold in advance.
Wrightbus expects to have almost 1,100 of the buses – a mix of single deck Electroliner Kite or double deck StreetDeck – on the roads by the end of 2026.
With the choice of two ultra-efficient CATL batteries for the single deck, customers can choose a 528kwh battery or a bespoke 442kwh battery. The double deck is fitted with the 442kwh battery; both configurations saving space and weight whilst maximising power and efficiency.
Range has been boosted to 275 miles for the StreetDeck and a game-changing 375 miles for the Kite, with battery warranties of up to 15 years. Charging times have been slashed by more than half to just 75 minutes. Running costs are up to 70% cheaper than diesel.
Wrightbus currently employs 2,300 people across its operations, with a further 7,500 jobs in the supply chain. The company has trebled production over the past three years. It is expecting to build 1,180 buses this year and is targeting revenues of £600m. Next year it expects to increase production to 1,300 vehicles and achieve a total bus market share of 38% in the UK and Ireland.
[Competition] is a blessing as it forces everyone to raise their game
It’s a dramatic reversal of fortunes from the situation in 2019 when Jo Bamford, the heir to the JCB empire, rescued the company from administration.
A healthy order book has been vital to this success, helping the company to cut per vehicle production costs. Suppliers have been urged to become ever more efficient to help the company maintain its competitiveness.
Competion is a ‘blessing’
All of this has been achieved despite increased competition from China, with Yutong and BYD making in-roads into the UK market. The 10% import tariff they face is a fraction of the 125% tariff on Chinese buses into the USA, offering little protection to Wrightbus and other UK bus manufacturers.
Gales has played a central role in the Wrightbus revival but will soon depart to become deputy chairman at the company’s parent group. He says that the Chinese competition has kept Wrightbus on its toes, constantly spurring him and his colleagues on to improve their products. The company has been investing £25m a year in research and development.
The batteries in the latest generation of Wrightbus vehicles are built in China by CATL, the market leader, which are exclusive to Wrightbus for an unspecified period. But Gales is keen to point out that more than half of the vehicles’ value still comes from UK suppliers, supporting UK jobs.
The price of the new products is “very competitive” and is backed up with a team of 85 mobile service engineers, who are available day and night.
“We have 3,000 zero-emission buses operating every day in the UK and Europe but our engineering team is still pushing continually to improve our vehicles,” Gales said proudly.
“There is some incredibly tough competition in the market but in many ways this is a blessing as it forces everyone to raise their game. Our factory is running at China-speed so we can deliver better efficiency and value to our customers, creating innovative products that exceed operators’ demands and expectations with a TCO better than diesel.
“With the additional improvements we have made to the vehicles, we once again have a class-leading zero-emission product that will soon be in operation in numerous towns and cities across the UK.
“And thanks to the close collaboration with our fellow HydraB Group companies, we are able to offer our customers a wider package of support that includes financing and charging infrastructure in addition to the gold-standard maintenance, aftercare and support that we already provide.”
A broadening portfolio
Wrightbus created the world’s first hydrogen double decker but also makes class-leading diesel buses, as well as offering Europe’s largest repowering facility – NewPower – in Bicester, alongside its refurbishment business.NewPower employs 65 skilled staff on site and is sold out for the first half of 2026.
It’s vital for the green economy … There’s no easier way to become green as with buses. It’s a great industry
“Wrightbus has grown enormously in the last few years,” added Gales. “We no longer just make buses – we provide the entire transport ecosystem and infrastructure for operators so they can relax knowing the whole lifecycle of the vehicle is supported from start to finish.”
With it’s manufacturing site in Malaysia – which has capacity to build 600 units a year – the group is targeting export to Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. The plant is EV-ready and is planning production of 200 vehicles in 2027.
Germany has become an important export market, with Wrightbus supplying 130 hydrogen-powered vehicles to operators. Wrightbus remains confident that there is a role for hydrogen buses in the UK, once the work has been done to generate an affordable supply of the fuel. Gales told Passenger Transport that many more remote bus depots will not be able to be electrified, but the services they operate are vital for communities. Hydrogen can be the bridge that gets them to zero-emissions.
Reflecting on his two and a half years in the bus sector, he said: “I didn’t know the bus sector before. It’s vital for the green economy … There’s no easier way to become green as with buses. It’s a great industry.”
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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