Bus manufacturer Custom Denning has responded to issues about the reliability of its electric bus models after Transport for NSW revealed a retrofit program to electric buses in its fleet.
In 2022, Transport for NSW placed an order for 72 Element 1 electric buses from the local manufacturer.
During their roll-out, Transport for NSW says “a number of reliability issues were identified”.
“The cause of several performance and reliability issues were attributed to the batteries used. The Element 1 buses require new batteries to be installed,” a Transport for NSW spokesperson told ABC.
“Custom Denning is undertaking a retrofit program to rectify the buses and we expect these buses to be returned to service progressively into early 2026.”
The spokesperson says there are currently 17 Element 1 buses on the network, with two having had their retrofit completed, while the rest of the electric buses not in service are either in the process of being retrofitted or are in storage awaiting retrofit.
According to the spokesperson, 11 of these buses are currently stored at a Transport for NSW holding yard at Smeaton Grange.
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The retrofitted buses are planned for allocation to Kingsgrove Depot once completed, which is currently forecast for next year. During this time, Transport for NSW says it has been re-allocating buses to other depots wherever possible to get the buses into service until the depot is complete.
In response, a Custom Denning spokesperson told ABC that its electric buses are reliable.
“There were no reliability issues with the roll-out, and there aren’t 72 buses parked up and waiting for batteries to be replaced – this is simply not true,” the spokesperson says.
“There are buses in storage, but less than half of the 72 mentioned. These buses are in storage for reasons outside of Custom Dennings control and not related to any warrantable issues.
“This was, and still is, mostly due to lack of infrastructure available to operate these buses.”
When it comes to the battery issue, the Custom Denning spokesperson says there were concerns from operators relating to the batteries generally, with Custom Denning offering the government and industry “in good faith” a new battery option that aligned with its new Element 2 product.
“This was accepted by TfNSW and the industry, so 72 buses that operate with the LMP battery have been earmarked for replacement,” the spokesperson says.
“Many of these buses are in service and being removed from service as other buses are being returned to the operator, so the comments made previously about 72 buses in storage is very misleading.
“To reiterate, there are not 72 buses in storage, this is merely the total number of buses that will be retrofitted with the new style battery and high voltage system, and are being cycled through the process.”
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