As the world moves to greener, more efficient public transport, electric buses are quickly becoming the preferred choice for operators. They’re quieter, cleaner and cheaper to run. But there’s a major roadblock that operators face—connecting their electric fleets to the power grid.
Many operators invest heavily in electric vehicles (EVs) and chargers, only to be told by the grid utility that they’ll either need to fund costly grid upgrades or face massive delays to get connected. In a fast-paced world, this kind of delay can destroy a bus operator’s business case and throw a serious wrench into fleet electrification plans.
This is where Kwetta comes in. The advanced EV charging technology company embarked on a mission to ensure bus operators can electrify their fleets without being hampered by grid challenges. Kwetta has helped clients slash connection times and saved them paying hefty grid upgrade fees.
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Founded in 2021 by Dr. Robert Turner, Dustin Murdock and Mike Lazelle, Kwetta—meaning ‘Big Energy’—was born out of a need to simplify the complex process of connecting large-scale EV chargers to the grid. Backed by more than 30 years of power and grid expertise, the team developed its Prime Grid Gateway to transform how EV chargers interact with the grid.
The Prime Grid Gateway caught the attention of Z Energy in New Zealand and Ampol in Australia, leading to Kwetta’s first pilot site in September 2023. Since then, it’s expanded to 12+ sites in New Zealand, with rapid growth already underway in Australia.
Kwetta has been talking to bus operators across New Zealand and Australia and the message is clear: operators need a solution that’s fast, scalable and cost-effective. With Kwetta’s Prime Grid Gateway, operators get all three. Each Prime Grid Gateway is designed to provide up to 1.2MW of power and lets bus depots scale from four to 64 charging heads, meaning operators can start small and expand as needed.
Kwetta’s technology is also built to save operators money. By integrating everything needed for charging into Kwetta’s Prime Grid Gateway and offering dynamic sequential charging, it ensures that energy is delivered efficiently across the fleet, preventing grid overload and reducing energy costs. The solution enables flexible tariffs – saving even more by scheduling charging during off-peak hours.
Kwetta kit is also built to last. The Prime Grid Gateway uses technology designed for the most demanding silicon chip manufacturing plants ensuring the Prime remains operational for more than 10 years, long outlasting the buses they’re designed to charge.
“When operators invest in our product, they’re making a long-term investment in reliability,” Kwetta CEO Dustin Murdock told ABC.
Kwetta knows bus operators face constant change, from moving depots to expanding fleets, so the solution is relocatable; when a lease expires or operations relocate, operators can pick up and move their Kwetta system with ease—no stranded assets, no wasted capital.
Even with all this, the real magic lies in how Kwetta solves one of the biggest challenges facing the electric vehicle industry: grid constraints. As EV adoption accelerates, grid capacity becomes a major bottleneck, especially as buses and trucks come online. In Norway, where EV penetration is high, operators face decade long waits for grid upgrades due to capacity constraints.
Murdock says the electric revolution is here, and it’s not just about cars. Buses, trucks and other heavy transport are the next frontier, and Kwetta is ready to power this shift. The brand has designed its solutions not just to meet today’s needs, but to future-proof electric fleets for years to come.
“We take the complexity out of the process,” Murdock says. “We handle the negotiations and technical aspects with the power provider so that bus operators can focus on running their fleets—not worrying about the grid.”
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