The ACT government has announced it is continuing its transition to a zero-emission future with a new electric bus model set to hit its roads.
The new Custom Denning ‘Element’ low floor battery electric bus (BEB) has arrived in the nation’s capital, ready to join the ACT’s fleet.
“This is the first of four new Custom Denning electric buses that will join our growing fleet of zero-emissions vehicles on our pathway to electrify Canberra’s public transport,” ACT transport minister Chris Steel says.
“According to the Australia Institute, the ACT is leading the country by the number of electric buses delivered per capita and these new buses will further increase our growing zero emission fleet.
“The ACT is also a leader in delivering nation leading electric vehicle training and we are supporting our heavy vehicle workforce to skill up for the transition to this new technology.”
Steel says these buses will be located out of the Belconnen bus depot, bolstering the number of zero-emission services running out of north Canberra.
These models will be further supplemented soon when a major order for electric Yutong buses, courtesy of VDI Australia, also begins delivery in the near future.
The new buses have been built in Sydney and will be based at the Belconnen Depot, with the appropriate charging infrastructure being installed at the depot using existing grid capacity for energy supply.
“Each of these buses takes around five hours to charge and can operate up to 400 kilometres on a full charge so they’ll be able to operate efficiently and effectively as part of our fleet,” Steel says.
“Electric buses are cutting noise pollution and harmful noxious emissions on our streets. These buses are so quiet that they are fitted with sound warnings when the bus starts to reduce speeds below 20 kilometres per hour or starts to increase speeds up to 23 kilometres per hour. This promotes safety for pedestrians and people with vision impairment.
“The new buses will join our existing electric bus fleet which have collectively already travelled 400,000 kilometres, as part of our existing public transport network.”
The introduction of these four new electric buses will bring Canberra’s total electric bus fleet to 16, with an additional 90 electric buses set to be delivered in the next three years.
The Zero-Emission Transition Plan for Transport Canberra supports a transition to new skills for its public transport workers and grid and depot upgrades to support Transport Canberra’s growing electric bus fleet.