Expansion in Europe and at home
Wrightbus is a company on a mission to grow and diversify its
business with alternative drivelines and a wider portfolio.
Wrightbus is a business that has bounced back and is now pushing ahead with projects across the UK and beyond, developing a tri-axle electric bus with a focus on the Far East and embarking on a new European venture, which is about to expand with the addition of the left-hand drive Contour coach. Other recent announcements have included the unveiling of its second-generation Electroliner platform, promising more range and lower cost, as well as a 15-year battery warranty.
Meanwhile, expansion beyond its traditional horizons has seen the company tackle a new truck repower, refreshing a 19-tonne twin-axle DAF with a new electric driveline, as well as its first ever EV-to-EV repowering project. This latter project will be carried out for London operator Metroline and will see the Ballymena-based company’s New Power division, based in Oxfordshire, replace problematic electrical systems in a fleet of 28 Switch Metrodeckers.
As CEO Jean-Marc Gales says, “sales of new buses in the UK are over 60% zero-emission, but trucks are lagging way behind, with less than 1% of the sector switching to EV. We believe that repowering is the simplest and most cost-effective way to ignite the market. Our latest deal to repower Metrodeckers for Metroline increases the orders for New Power to 64 for next year, already above the 50-plus we will have delivered in 2025, and makes New Power the largest repower specialist in Europe”.
“sales of new buses in the UK are over 60% zero-emission, but trucks are lagging way behind, with less than 1% of the sector switching to EV."
In Northern Ireland, the company has hailed production efficiencies and a full order book which saw turnover jump from £257.8m in 2023 to £455.1m last year. “In a tough market we have thrived, creating thousands of jobs, bringing new levels of product quality to the bus market and delighting passengers,” Jean-Marc adds, pointing out that the strong figures underline the company’s ambitious expansion targets. “We are proud to be market leaders, driving quality and innovation in the bus sector and expanding into new areas,” he says. “Wrightbus has a proven track record in innovative engineering and design, and 2024 saw the successful launch of a left-hand drive hydrogen fuel cell bus compliant with all German regulations. This bus adds to our full complement of both single-deck and double-deck variants across all drive-lines – diesel, hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric”.
