The Bus Industry Confederation (BIC) has responded to the Electric Vehicle Council’s latest report on the state of the electric bus market in Australia
The latest report from the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) suggests the deliveries of battery electric buses and coaches to the nation’s operators is set to increase as variety deepens.
The EVC State of Electric Vehicles report for 2023 has just been released, with the report saying Australia’s EV sales have doubled to now comprise 8.4 per cent of new car sales in 2023.
The report looks into the factors behind this increase while also investigating the performance of Australian governments in EV policy and infrastructure deployment.
Among the positives, the EVC report suggests that nationally consistent policy reform is critical to supporting the growth of EVs in all sectors, including the bus industry.
On the bus side, the Bus Industry Confederation (BIC) says the report details the current state of play in the electric bus market.
The report says “there are approximately 22 electric buses available on the Australian market”, with current government efforts meaning the industry can expect the electrification of Australia’s public transport systems, particularly in the bus sector, to grow steadily each year.
However, BIC says it agrees with the report’s statement that there’s “a clear absence of national leadership to support transitioning heavy vehicle fleets to EVs”.
This includes through regulatory reform to assist with supply, alongside demand and infrastructure initiatives.