Zenobē, a leading provider of vehicle fleet electrification and battery storage innovation, has demonstrated the deployment of Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Funding (ScotZEB) during a visit by Fiona Hyslop MSP, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Transport, to the McGill’s Xplore Dundee bus depot.
At the Dundee depot, Zenobē has deployed ScotZEB 2 funding to support McGill’s with the roll-out of 12 Yutong U11 double-deck electric buses supplied by Pelican and the installation of six 120kW Zerova chargers. The depot will support third-party charging, allowing other operators of electric fleets, like HGVs, to utilise the specialist charging infrastructure.
The work at the Dundee depot builds on Zenobē’s long-standing partnership with McGill’s buses. Before ScotZEB 2, Zenobē had supported the electrification of 109 buses in the McGill’s fleet. By the end of 2025, the additional ScotZEB 2 funding will have supported the roll out of 42 additional fully electric buses with McGill’s.
In July 2024, Zenobē announced that it had been awarded £41.7 million in funding to lead a consortium of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), mid-market and major operators to transition their fleets to zero-emission vehicles. This funding will enable the delivery of 252 zero-emission buses across eight bus and coach operators, whilst creating a network of third-party charging infrastructure available to heavy electric vehicles across Scotland.
This collaborative approach with operators across Scotland, including McGill’s Dundee, is helping meet the needs of both SMEs and larger scale operators to deliver electric vehicles and support infrastructure at both speed and scale.
Zenobē has already supported the installation of five chargers and on-site solar generation at Maynes Coaches’ Buckie depot, ahead of the delivery of three Yutong fully electric coaches and one electric EVM minibus in April, with more to come by the end of the year. The ScotZEB 2 programme will also see Stagecoach welcome brand new fully electric buses to its Inverness and St Andrews depots while Ember will roll out a fleet of electric coaches to service routes from Aberdeen, Perth, Glasgow Airport and more.
Steven Meersman, Founder Director of Zenobē, said, “Through ScotZEB 2 funding and Zenobē’s tailored finance structures, we are supporting a variety of operators make the shift from diesel to electric.
“As seen during today’s visit to McGill’s depot in Dundee, private capital can help public funding go further to deliver electric vehicles, infrastructure and cleaner air for communities across Scotland. With our financing and operational support, we are showing how the decarbonisation of public transport and development of a shared charging network can be accelerated across Scotland, setting a blueprint for the UK.”
Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said:
“The expertise of Zenobē has been critical to the success of our Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund.
“Their approach means effective delivery and roll-out to bus and coach operators, as we can see with the latest McGill’s Group deployment in Dundee. It also means greater efficiency for the tax payer, because through the financing approach supported by Zenobē, every £1 of the Scottish Government’s £41.7 million ScotZEB investment, has been able to attract £3.20 investment from the private sector.
“This builds on the £113 million previously invested by the Scottish Government for zero-emission buses and infrastructure, which will help introduce over 800 zero emission buses to the fleet – supporting the economy, protecting air quality for communities and reducing transport emissions for our climate.
In addition to facilitating ScotZEB 2, Zenobē has invested £750 million into battery storage projects in Scotland, with over 1 GW of live and contracted battery storage projects across the country. It recently launched phase one of its Blackhillock 300MW battery energy storage system that will prevent approximately 2.6 million tonnes of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere over the next 15 years by integrating more wind power onto the transmission network and significantly reducing renewable energy waste.
SOURCE: Zenobē
