Wrightbus, the world-leading bus manufacturer, has unveiled its first repowered truck as part of its ambitious plans to expand its presence in the zero-emission transport market.
L to r: James Bishop, Programme Director; Jean-Marc Gales, CEO; Marcel De Rycker, MD, Rightech; Paul Thomas, CTO
Best known for building more than 1,000 buses a year at its Northern Ireland headquarters, Wrightbus recently launched its dedicated repowering division, NewPower, in Bicester, Oxfordshire. The facility – the largest of its kind in the UK – specialises in converting diesel vehicles by replacing engines with advanced electric powertrains.
The company’s first repowered truck, a 19-tonne twin-axle DAF, marks a major milestone for the sector. Engineers spent 11 months developing the conversion, which involves replacing the diesel engine and gearbox with a 282kWh battery and electric drivetrain, delivering a range of up to 290km. The project is also expected to create 160 new jobs in the UK over the next two years.
Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Wrightbus, said: “Buses have led the way in decarbonisation for the last two or three years: year-to-date sales of new buses in the UK are 75% zero-emission, but trucks are lagging way behind, with less than 1 per cent of the sector switching to EV.
“We believe that repowering is the simplest and most cost-effective way to ignite the market and our incredible Wrightbus engineers have more experience than anyone else in replacing internal combustion engines with electric powertrains.”
Image: Wrightbus
The repowered truck costs less than half the price of a new electric model, making it a more accessible route for operators struggling with high upfront costs. With conversions taking as little as four weeks, the trucks are particularly suited to urban delivery cycles and back-to-base operations, sharing over 90% of their components with Wrightbus’s proven BEV bus technology.
All future truck repowers will take place at the state-of-the-art NewPower factory in Bicester. Wrightbus will provide full support through its growing fleet of mobile service engineers and a strategic partnership with SVS, which already supports its Rightech zero-emission truck brand.
The launch strengthens Wrightbus’s global growth strategy across the UK, Europe, and Asia. The company already employs over 2,300 people, with service centres in Ballymena, Coventry, Bicester, Brühl in Germany, and Selangor in Malaysia.
Jean-Marc Gales, CEO
Jean-Marc Gales added: “Operators and fleet managers can have complete confidence that we can provide a 360-degree solution; helping bus customers adapt from diesel fleets to zero-emission fleets seamlessly, maintaining them with 98.6% uptime, and with each bus covering an average of 50,000 miles per annum.”
Wrightbus has a strong record of innovation, having developed the world’s first hydrogen double-decker bus and the iconic London Routemaster. The company also boasts the most efficient zero-emission buses across both its EV and hydrogen ranges.
