Guernsey’s first electric bus is a step closer, after The Little Green Energy Company installed an EV charging system.
In line with the aims of the On-Island Integrated Transport Strategy and the 2020-2050 Climate Change Policy; The States of Guernsey Committee for the Environment and Infrastructure has been exploring options for the procurement of electric buses, as they move into the third and final phase of the Bus Fleet Replacement Programme.
This encouraging next step aims to help the island on its critical journey to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, a target which was approved by the States last year through the adoption of the 2020-2050 Climate Change Policy.
“We are very happy to be able to have supplied and installed the EV charging infrastructure to allow an electric bus to be tested on island,” said Bob Beebe, CEO of The Little Green Energy Company. “We look forward to collaborating further with the States in their future energy requirements as part of the Guernsey Energy Policy.”
The Higer STEED (an example is shown in the main picture), a fully electric, narrow-bodied bus, is currently being put to test on a variety of local bus routes to assess operational performance, reliability and suitability during both day and night operations in Guernsey. The results of the trial will help inform the final stage of the Bus Fleet Replacement Programme.
The Committee for the Environment and Infrastructure said: “With the recent publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report stating that some climate changes can still be slowed or stopped if countries around the world make rapid changes to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, the committee is pleased that Guernsey remains a mature and responsible jurisdiction that is alive to the pressing need to minimise its carbon emissions.”
The Bus Fleet Replacement Programme is still in the early stages of trialling electric buses in an effort to reduce emissions through internal combustion engine vehicles on-island, therefore a release date for the findings is yet to be confirmed.
