EV and battery storage firm Zenobē has partnered with National Express on a sustainable shuttle bus service to Glastonbury.
The move will see Zenobē provide National Express with eight electric double-decker buses to service its Bristol-Glastonbury route.
It will also set up a pop-up charging station enabling National Express to charge the vehicles close to where they are needed instead of a central bus depot.
It will supply four fast DC chargers and a Powerskid from second-life batteries for National Express to use to fully charged electric bus to travel up to 173 miles.
The shuttle service will run from Bristol Bus & Coach Station directly to Worthy Farm, with each bus expected to make three journeys a day, avoiding 348kg of carbon emissions compared with diesel alternatives.
The partnership builds on the pre-existing relationship between Zenobē and National Express in February last year when the firm agreed to provide 130 electric buses for operation in Coventry.
Steven Meersman, Co-Founder and Director of Zenobē, said: “We’ve paired two of Zenobē’s unique offers: second-life EV batteries and our Electric Transport as-a-Service platform, to enable National Express to easily and affordably access an electric bus fleet and conveniently charge it near to the festival site.
“It marks an important step in the decarbonisation of the festivals and events industry, where huge numbers of people flock to remote locations for just a few days but to date have not had sustainable ways of getting there.“
Tom Berry, Zero Emissions Vehicle Specialist at National Express, said: “As the official coach travel partner for Glastonbury, we’re experienced in providing reliable and affordable dedicated services direct to Worthy Farm, carrying over 12,000 revellers from all over the UK each year.
“It’s great to be able to work with Zenobē to introduce more sustainable means of public transport for our customers and by having access to pop-up chargers on site for the first time, we’re able to operate our festival services more efficiently – leading the charge in cleaner and greener travel solutions.”
Image courtesy of Zenobe
