Alexander Dennis Expands with New Electric Bus Production Line, Boosting Sustainable Transport and Jobs

Bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis has announced plans to expand its Larbert head office and facility into a manufacturing site. The Larbert site in Falkirk will focus on the production of the new Enviro400EV zero-emission bus from August 2023, assembling the next-generation body on the new Alexander Dennis battery-electric chassis. The decision follows a successful pilot programme to build Enviro400FCEV hydrogen fuel cell buses in Larbert.

The move expands Alexander Dennis’s UK manufacturing footprint from two to three production sites, meeting increasing demand for decarbonisation of public transport. The Larbert expansion, which converts existing warehouse space into production lines, supports the company’s 690+ jobs in Scotland.

The Enviro400EV double deck has been designed to move large numbers of people on busy urban corridors and interurban expresses with a total capacity of up to 96 passengers and an operational range of up to 260 miles on a single charge.

The Alexander Dennis head office will remain at Larbert and work has already been completed to revamp the site’s office space to equip it for its future as a flexible environment that brings together key business teams and maximises utilisation under the hybrid working arrangements that are now standard across Alexander Dennis. The changes in Larbert are part of a company-wide modernisation journey that started with the opening of the new Farnborough facility in 2022 and which will continue in coming years as further members of the next generation of zero-emission buses are added to the Alexander Dennis portfolio.

Paul Davies, president and managing director at Alexander Dennis, said: “Over the past couple of years we have been laser focused on a modernisation agenda, underpinned by significant investment in our people, our products and our facilities. We not only need to future-proof our manufacturing capabilities for the ZEvolution but we also need to ensure that we create the best possible working environment in which our people can excel. This is another step on our Alexander Dennis journey to build a sustainable company for the future, with zero-emission buses being at the core of the repurposed and upgraded Larbert site.”