Northern Ireland’s Wrightbus has signed a landmark deal with Australian bus manufacturer Volgren, potentially opening up the Australian export market for the County Antrim firm.
Wrightbus has partnered with Volgren to provide its groundbreaking hydrogen fuel cell powertrain technology for the manufacture of two zero-emission hydrogen single deck buses which will be the first European-Australian hydrogen combination in the country.
And Wrightbus leaders hope the first two buses will be the start of many as Australia looks to replace tens of thousands of buses with zero-emission vehicles over the next decade to hit its net-zero commitments.
Wrightbus CEO Buta Atwal said:
“As the UK’s leading bus manufacturer with world-leading products, we’re incredibly proud to be partnering with Australia’s number one bus body builder in Volgren. Like us, Volgren is always on the cutting edge of new and emerging technology to drive the industry forwards. There are some fantastic parallels between the two companies and we’re looking forward to a long and successful working relationship.
The deal was welcomed by the UK government, which has introduced a bill to help bring into force the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:
“Northern Ireland is home to one of the UK’s most dynamic manufacturing sectors, and I’m proud of our work helping companies like Wrightbus get export wins like this. They are paving the way for others to make in the UK and sell to the world.
