Australian operator Busways has recently concluded its trial of an electric bus in South Australia and has now moved onto a similar trial in NSW.
The trial in Adelaide of a Yutong E12 electric bus in Adelaide’s Outer South region finished on May 31, generating valuable data that Busways will share with the SA Department for Infrastructure and Transport to inform future planning for the integration of zero-emissions buses and infrastructure in the region.
More than 3,000 Adelaide South passengers got their first taste of riding an electric bus, enjoying the quieter, smoother and more sustainable ride. With its battery capacity of 295 kWh, the Yutong E12 travelled up to 1400km a week and achieved better energy consumption results than expected according to Busways.
Now, the trial of a Volvo BZL Electric in the Penrith region began this week.
The Penrith trial kicked off on June 3, where Busways’ depot team will test the bus performance on different Penrith routes and how its suits the local driving environment and compared to its existing electric buses and diesel fleet.
“We already have a fleet of 18 electric buses in Sydney and these trials in different regions of different models are an important part of the journey to a zero-emissions fleet as electric buses are constantly evolving,” Busways head of group assets, safety and regional and outer metro service delivery Chris Wolf says.
“The Yutong E12 bus in Adelaide covered over 8,000 kilometres on diverse terrain and we saw the bus perform well in Adelaide conditions.
“We will be trialling the Volvo BZL in Penrith for more than two months and we look forward to reviewing the data as Busways continues to innovate and explore environmentally friendly transport solutions.”
Busways says it remains committed to collaborating with the government to evaluate various options for Australia’s electric bus fleet to bring sustainable and innovative transport solutions to commuters.