Cost Effective Electric Bus (CELEB)

An electric bus’s heating and cooling system can consume as much energy as its motor, making the vehicle too heavy and expensive for widespread adoption. This project tackles a specific engineering bottleneck: the battery pack accounts for much of an electric bus’s cost and weight, and the HVAC system drains that battery as fast as the drivetrain does. By redesigning how heating, cooling, and ventilation are integrated into the bus, the consortium aims to cut total energy demand—and therefore battery capacity—by 30 percent. That reduction could bring the upfront cost of a zero-emission bus low enough for cash-strapped city transport authorities to buy them in volume. If successful, the collaboration—which includes Nissan as battery supplier, Brazilian bus maker Agrale, and UK wiring specialist Potenza Technologies—would deliver a lighter, cheaper electric bus that still meets range requirements. The simplified wiring loom from Potenza should also reduce manufacturing complexity and maintenance costs. Cleaner air in city centres and lower CO₂ emissions are the direct public benefit, but the real shift is in the economics of public transport fleets: a bus that pays for itself faster could accelerate the replacement of diesel vehicles across the UK and beyond.