EDF chairman Bernard Fontana stated that financial aid will be targeted at low income households, providing up to €1,000 towards the cost of installing a heat pump. This can be combined with existing government aid schemes for heat pumps, resulting in a total out-of-pocket cost of €3,000 for installation, which is less than the cost of a replacement gas heating system.
It's tempting to frame autonomous driving as a single leap. In public transport, adoption tends to be incremental - because the system is built for reliability, and new capabilities have to fit into daily operations without disrupting service. That is why a practical strategy is evolution, not revolution: introduce autonomy in a defined domain, learn safely in real operations, and expand capability step-by-step.
The vehicle supply contract was awarded to Iveco Bus shortly before Christmas. The press release does not specify the exact vehicle model ordered by LSE. However, given the reference to a Low-Entry configuration, the vehicles can reasonably be expected to belong to Iveco's Crossway LE Elec range, launched in 2023. The same model has been ordered in 200 units in Germany by the purchasing group "BusGruppe" in late 2024.
Currently, BYD has already launched several new models built on this platform, including the B12.b LF, B12.b LE, B12.b HF, B13.b, and the B18.b (available in both long and short wheelbase versions). In the near future, 10m and 15m models will also be introduced, and all upcoming BYD eBuses for the European market will gradually migrate to this new generation platform.