Kinetic has announced that it is more than halfway through the biggest bus transformation in New Zealand as it accelerates Auckland Transport’s efforts to decarbonise the city’s public transport network.
The zero-emission bus roll-out in Auckland has seen four depots undergo major electrification upgrades to power the arrival of 152 buses.
Two years into the plan, Kinetic says that Auckland is now the centre of Australasia’s fastest growth in electric buses, with more than 100 electric buses already on the road transporting passengers.
Infrastructure that supports the vehicles includes two fully electric bus depots. Kinetic says its bus depot in West Auckland will become NZ’s largest all-electric depot in 2024, powering 86 buses.
Kinetic New Zealand managing director Calum Haslop says Auckland is leading the way in the transition to zero-emissions transport and that Kinetic is a proud partner in the transformation.
“It’s been a privilege for the entire Kinetic team to play a leadership role in Auckland’s journey to zero emissions,” Haslop says.
“Our partnership with Auckland Transport is helping the city work towards meeting its climate change targets, while also having an immediate impact on air quality to create a quieter, healthier urban environment for residents.
“We will continue partnering with governments and councils to help them meet their climate reduction goals, as we strive to meet our own target for a 100 per cent city electric fleet.”
Auckland Transport public transport and active modes director Stacey van der Putten says the efforts support Auckland’s Low Emission Bus Roadmap.
“Our ambition is to get to the point where, come 2035, all vehicles in our city bus fleet are zero-emissions at tail pipe,” van der Putten says.
“People tell us they want to choose more sustainable forms of transport, and they love and notice the difference travelling on electric buses and feel like they’re making a more sustainable travel choice.”
Haslop says valuable lessons have been learnt since Kinetic introduced NZ’s first all-electric public bus service in 2021.
“In the last three years we’ve successfully transformed eight depots and introduced 197 electric buses nationally—and in the process we’ve developed an incredible depth of knowledge,” Haslop says.
“This expertise wasn’t developed overnight. There’s been rigorous consultation, industry reviews and learning from our peers, and we’ve had to earn the support of stakeholders.
Haslop says that Kinetic now has the systems, confidence and capability to produce electric buses anywhere.
“We aren’t content with superficial change,” Haslop says.
“We’re determined to go beyond, to reshape norms and to exceed expectations in accelerating this broad scale transformation.”
Kinetic New Zealand infrastructure director Ian Gordon says the company had an innovative approach to the efficient supply of battery electric buses for Auckland.
“In our newest electric depots, we worked closely with electricity distribution partners to develop a smart charging technology, managing when and how much each bus is charged during off-peak hours, reducing grid burden without compromising local energy supplies,” Gordon says.
Gordon says that while the days of standing by a diesel pump are gone, buses may still need to be topped up during the day.
“The top up is now controlled by a central computer which calculates exactly what is needed, timed to happen during a driver’s rest period,” Gordon says.
“Newly electrified depots are also engineered for the development of bus to grid (B2G) systems, which can transfer surplus energy from bus batteries back to the network, should it ever be needed.”
Kinetic says it will deliver the next tranche of 42 vehicles onto Auckland’s bus network early next year. It will also support Auckland Transport in introducing the city’s first electric double-decker bus.
Kinetic says that across the next 12 months, its fleet will expand to 250 zero-emissions vehicles across Auckland, Christchurch, Tauranga and Wellington.
The company’s Australian network also includes electric buses in Melbourne, Hobart and throughout Queensland.
Kinetic says its global fleet of electric buses is expected to grow to 1,000 this year, with operations in Australasia, the United Kingdom, Europe and Singapore.