Wrightbus unveils first repowered truck, promising half the cost of new EVs

The Northern Ireland-based bus manufacturer repowered , which produces around 1,000 buses annually, said the truck repowering project was completed at its new NewPower facility in Bicester, Oxfordshire. The site, billed as the largest of its kind in the UK, specialises in stripping out diesel engines and replacing them with electric powertrains.

The conversion of the 19-tonne twin-axle DAF involved fitting a 282 kWh battery system capable of a range of around 290 kilometres. Engineers said the process can be completed in as little as four weeks.

According to Wrightbus, the cost of a repowered truck comes in at less than half the price of a new electric truck, offering operators a cheaper route to decarbonisation. The company expects the new business to create 160 jobs in the UK over the next two years.

Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Wrightbus, described repowering as a cost-effective way to accelerate the transition:

“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 one per cent of the sector switching to EV. We believe that repowering is the simplest and most cost-effective way to ignite the market.”

The company said the 19-tonne model was selected for its similar duty cycle to buses – urban deliveries with fixed routes and back-to-base operation. More than 90% of the truck’s components are shared with Wrightbus’s battery-electric bus powertrain.

Future truck conversions will be handled at the Bicester facility, with servicing provided by Wrightbus’s mobile service engineers and a partnership with SVS, which already supports the company’s zero-emission fleet.

Wrightbus, which employs over 2,300 people and has service centres in the UK, Germany, and Malaysia, said the new venture is part of a wider international expansion across Europe and Asia.