Massive Attack’s Act 1.5—Showing what's possible today in zero emission music festival production with Zenobē

This weekend, Bristol is hosting Act 1.5, a music festival headlined by Massive Attack in their first UK gig in five years. The festival will set new standards for low-carbon events, and we at Zenobē are thrilled to be part of it.

We’ll be providing 14 second-life batteries, along with a further 5 in partnership with Select, to supply power to the venue. We’re also putting on a show special electric bus shuttle, collaborating with Newport Bus to bring zero emission transport for festivalgoers.

From small beginnings to global impact

In 2019, we supported just 9 vehicles from a single depot in Guildford. Fast forward to today, and we support over 1,200 electric vehicles across >75 depots worldwide.

We reduce risk and cost for our customers transition to zero emission by integrating financing for new electric vehicles, underwriting battery and charging infrastructure performance, alongside operation and maintenance of the fleet. This allows the operator to focus on delivering the best service they can to their customers.

Even when the vehicle batteries first life ends, batteries still have value. After refurbishing, these batteries find new life as static power units that enable more charging without burdening the grid or as portable power units, just like the ones used at Act 1.5.

Portable power’s first test

In 2021, we were the Official Energy Storage Supplier for the off-road electric race series, Extreme E. This was the first real-world test for our portable power units, which powered the paddocks, garages, and broadcast infrastructure – and continue to do so today.

Our units have since become integral to each event's temporary microgrid, proving their efficacy and mobility. This was just the beginning of our strategy for second-life batteries.

Quiet on set!

As well as preventing battery waste and being a sustainable alternative to diesel generators, another benefit of second-life batteries is how quiet they are when operating.

In 2023 our portable batteries had a temporary home on location in the English countryside for filming of Netflix’s The Crown, where they avoided 707 litres of diesel from being used in place of traditional generators. We have since received official accreditation as an albert approved supplier, the film industry’s leading organisation for environmental sustainability.??

Powering festival transport

In 2023, we partnered with National Express to operate a zero-emission shuttle service from Bristol to Glastonbury. Our fully electric double-decker buses were charged at a pop-up charging station, where the grid supply was augmented by second life batteries. This demonstrated that zero-emission festival transport is viable and efficient.