Last month’s Australasian Bus & Coach Expo is proof of the green energy direction that the industry is racing towards.
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It felt like only yesterday that companies like Tesla first broke into the news with plans to design electric vehicles. With new-fangled designs that looked like they came from sci-fi movies, it’s difficult to fathom how quickly the world has adjusted to the idea of vehicles being powered by electricity or hydrogen.
Yet here we are. Just a few years later and events like last month’s Australasian Bus & Coach Expo are jam-packed with heavy vehicles that predominantly run on battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell technology. It’s remarkable to see the change.
It’s only been three years since the last Expo was held, but for the industry it felt like a lifetime. It was wonderful to see the majority of members packing tightly into the Volvo Welcome function on the opening night. A full and loud Sydney Showgrounds at the BusNSW Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony was a particular highlight. To see so many smiles and catching up taking place shows the industry is back to where it deserves to be after a tough couple of years. Now we’ve emerged out the other side, the Expo proved everyone has some exciting tricks up their sleeves.
The past two editions of ABC magazine may have been larger than usual, but this month’s recap of the Expo takes the cake. Inside these pages is a testament to the Australian industry and for its ability to devise some of the nation’s leading transport technology. It’s no secret that our sector is leading the way in Australia when it comes to zero-emission development. To do so with limited design guidelines and produce the array of products on show at the Expo proves the industry is particularly innovative and unique.
Our Bus & Coach Expo recap section shows such a diverse range of companies coming out with variations to popular products. Starting in alphabetical order with Bus & Coach International’s (BCI) unique journey of its three electric models from Melbourne to Sydney and ending all the way with ZF’s latest foray into telematics, there are so many highlights from the two-day event.
Some of the best come in the form of new vehicle reveals. International members made the effort to come across the world to Sydney Showgrounds to see the beauty of these models. Take Ebusco’s 2.2 model recently launched in Australia that graces our cover as an example. When combined with the impressive developments made on electric models in the seating, fabrics, parts and air-conditioning sections (check out the air-conditioning feature for an idea of the market’s innovations), the lack of diesel discussions was both surprising and refreshing.
It doesn’t mean tradition has been neglected. Bus driver Robert Gloster may not be a household name in the industry, but his impact on Victorian regional communities has been profound. Being able to catch up with the newly crowned Victorian school bus driver of the year was just as enthralling as our chat with successful operator Busways about its evolving stance on innovation. With energy companies like Yurika also sprouting as a charging infrastructure service provider, the industry is evolving in its quest to lead the nation’s zero-emissions charge. We hope you enjoy this magazine and its celebration of this rapid development.