COP26 team up from First Bus, Octopus Energy & Hitachi Europe to deliver ‘Together for our Planet’ showcase event on future of green transport
- First Bus have teamed up with Octopus Energy & Hitachi Europe - Principal partner of COP26, to deliver a showcase ‘Together for our Planet’ event.
- First Glasgow Caledonia Depot is now a rapid EV charging hub offering delegates & guests free rapid state-of-the-art chargers for their electric vehicles (EVs)
- The event will show how bus depots can be transformed into fleet charging hubs, accelerating the transition to zero emission fleets with immersive virtual reality & cinema experience of the future of transport.
Seats are filling up on board the COP26 ‘Together for Our Planet’ showcase hosted by First Bus, Octopus Energy and Hitachi Europe – principal partner of COP26.
Go one step greener at the immersive event held from 1st to 11th November (weekdays) in the southside of Glasgow as the First Bus Caledonia Depot is transformed into a futuristic hub, set in 2035.
The event is also home to an EV rapid charging facility, free to all attending delegates. The chargers, which can replenish an average family EV in around 30 minutes, are available to all on a first-come-first-serve basis, with bookable charging slots for VIPs.
The event on the future of green transport will send delegates and guests into the future through the magical world of virtual reality. The space will also host a drive-in cinema for those charging EV vehicles.
The ambitious collaboration will show how First Bus, with investment also from Transport Scotland, is transforming its bus depot into one of the UK’s largest electric fleet charging stations.
It will be accessible through the Octopus Energy’s Electric Juice Network and has the potential for over 150 vehicles to be quickly recharged at a time.
First Glasgow will also operate a shuttle service between the green zone and the depot as well as between the site and the city centre.
The showcase will host key speakers and guests from the energy and transport sectors, as well as climate experts.
The whole planet is on board. Alongside the main trio, exhibitors include Transform Scotland and Heliox. Also taking part is the Climate Café, a collaboration between Climate Reality – a campaign group founded by former US Vice President Al Gore – and local sustainable drinks company Dear Green Coffee serving up hot eco-friendly drinks as well as treats from a local zero-waste baker.
Mike Nugent, Head of EV, Hitachi Europe Ltd. said: “As a Principal Partner of COP26, Hitachi is proud to support First Bus in delivering their rapid EV charging Hub. Our Zero Carbon initiative and partnership with First Bus is at the heart of our Environment Strategy and sets the benchmark for decarbonised transport in the UK.
“Working with First Bus, we will deliver a bus decarbonisation programme and place the electric bus depot at the heart of the local community, through the delivery of charging and electrification services.
“The EV charging hub is one example of how we are aiming to deliver new community services and regeneration opportunities through the electrification programme.”
Andrew Jarvis, Portfolio Managing Director for First Bus said, “First Bus are delighted to be playing host to such a prestigious event and it is an honour taking part in the COP26 Together for our Planet campaign.
“The eyes of the world will be focused on Glasgow for the next few weeks and so it is great to be able to share our ambitions for the future of public transport and the role is has to play in meeting our collective Climate challenge targets.
“As leaders in sustainable mobility, First Bus are fully aligned with the Government’s ambitions for a net-zero carbon transport system, including zero-emission bus fleets. We have already committed to achieving this by 2035 and we look forward to showcasing this to delegates over the course of the event.”
For more information on the event go to the COP26 showcase webpage: octopus.energy/first-electricjuice-depot/
#TogetherforourPlanet #OneStepGreener
ENDS
Notes to editors
Press Contacts:
First Bus – Graeme Lafferty
T: +447970 507 432
E: Graeme.Lafferty@firstbus.co.uk
Hitachi Europe – Kelly Smith
E: kelly.smith@hitachi-eu.com
Notes to editors
Together for our Planet campaign
We can no longer afford to wait to act against the threat of climate change. We must work together to protect our planet and people to ensure a greener, more resilient future for us all.
Our Together for our Planet campaign is building momentum for positive action on climate change across UK society, ahead of the COP26 Summit.
Right across the UK we are showcasing how individuals are making a difference in their daily lives and going #OneStepGreener - from the engineers working on the offshore wind farms now powering our homes and businesses, to local initiatives encouraging children and parents to walk to school. Our #OneStepGreener climate leaders show how ordinary people are making a difference, encouraging everyone else to do their bit, however large or small.
Each of us has an important part to play. That’s why, in the run up to COP26 we’ll be working closely with businesses, community groups, schools and citizens across the UK as part of our collective efforts to tackle climate change.
We need your help in supporting the Together for our Planet campaign, raising awareness and building momentum for positive action on climate change, ahead of the COP26 Summit.
About First Bus
First Bus is one of the UK’s largest bus operators. Making journeys easier for our customers, we were the first national bus operator to accept contactless card payments across all of our services and our First Bus App is voted ‘best in class’ amongst UK bus operators. Our most recent investments are in new, state-of-the-art buses across our key networks.
We work proactively with our local authority partners, making a positive impact on air quality, tackling congestion and improving customer experience. We are focused on First Bus becoming a leader in the transition to a low-carbon future and are committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035; we have pledged not to purchase any new diesel buses after December 2022. We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland.
First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
About Octopus Energy Group
Octopus Energy Group was launched in 2016 with a vision of using technology to make the green energy revolution affordable whilst transforming customer experiences. It is a certified B-corp, and its domestic energy arm already serves 2.5 million customers with cheaper greener power, through Octopus Energy, M&S Energy, Affect Energy, Ebico, London Power and Co-op Energy.
Octopus Energy for Business manages over 25,000 customers with proprietary energy offerings. Octopus Electric Vehicles is helping make clean transport cheaper and easier, and Octopus Energy Services is bringing smart products to thousands of homes. Octopus Energy Generation is Europe’s largest investor in solar energy, managing a £3.4bn portfolio of renewable energy assets throughout the continent.
All of these are made possible by OEG's tech arm, Kraken Technologies, which offers a proprietary, in-house platform based on advanced data and machine learning capabilities, Kraken automates much of the energy supply chain to allow outstanding service and efficiency as the world transitions to a decentralised, decarbonised energy system. This technology has been licensed to support over 17 million accounts worldwide, through deals with Good Energy, E.ON energy and Origin Energy.
About Hitachi Europe Ltd.
Hitachi Europe Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., is headquartered in Buckinghamshire, UK. The company is focused on its Social Innovation Business - delivering innovations that answer society's challenges. Hitachi Europe and its subsidiary companies offers a broad range of information & telecommunication systems; rail systems, power and industrial systems; industrial components & equipment; automotive systems, digital media & consumer products and others with operations and research & development laboratories across EMEA.
Hitachi is a Principal Partner of COP26, playing a leading role in the efforts to achieve a Net Zero society and become a climate change innovator. Hitachi strives to achieve carbon neutrality at all its business sites by fiscal year 2030 and across the company’s entire value chain by fiscal year 2050.
For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at https://www.hitachi.eu