For years, popular thought suggests the zero-emissions transition within Australasia’s bus and coach sector has centred on the major cities. The thriving metropolis adding dozens of electric urban low-floor models to suburban fleets, and swiftly installing charging facilities to match them.
However, not all early movers in the shift towards a more sustainable fleet are based in these city centres. In fact, when Western Australian equipment rental agency Kuuwu Rentals first began the search for lower emissions vehicles in 2021, it was doing so for mining equipment in the state’s remote regions.
“We started investigating electric vehicle options in 2021 as we saw the direction the world was going,” Kuuwu Rentals stakeholder portfolio executive Darren Hulme says.
“In 2022 we partnered with Worley and conducted an extensive research project, and a year later we had a comprehensive feasibility report that showed a clear pathway of solutions for the mining industry to transition into electrified fleets.
“As a first mover, armed with our feasibility report, and in conjunction with Worley, we have invested time and energy into ensuring we offer a full solution, fit for purpose to suit our clients’ harsh mining environments. We’re going beyond simply placing a battery electric vehicle on site – we will assist our clients to achieve their targets in an efficient and cost-effective manner with a holistic turn-key solution.”
The rental company was founded in 2019 with a fleet of light vehicles. It quickly expanded into buses and trucks, as well as plant equipment, with the business continuing to adapt to industry needs as it grows its reach across WA.
It’s also not like many other rental agencies around the nation – it’s majority owned by Buurabalayji Thalanyji Aboriginal Corporation (BTAC), the Aboriginal Traditional Owners of the Onslow region in the Pilbara. Its expertise is in offering a one-stop-shop for light vehicles, earthmoving and construction equipment solutions for all mining, civil, construction and agricultural projects Australia wide.
“We specialise in long-term rentals offering bespoke builds specific to each project,” Hulme says.
“We ensure quality and productivity as well as peak performance by using the newest and latest equipment available. We are passionate about giving back to the communities we work in as we are dependent on their skills, services and infrastructure for the success of our business.
“We are driven by a mission to make lives and communities better, investing our profits in community projects, education, job creation and apprenticeships – particularly for Indigenous Australians in local communities and our young people.”
The fast pace of evolution has led to the company moving from prospective electric vehicle customer to a pioneer in the local transport space when it comes to sustainable solutions. This rapid rise culminated in the delivery of Scania’s first electric-hybrid powered coach chassis to a WA operator, with the maiden model coming fitted with the latest Irizar i6 body.
Initially this electric move has focused on deploying battery electric utes for mining customers as part of the Kuuwa Rentals’ ‘Charge Forward’ program, but now the two new Scania Irizar electric-hybrids join the fleet to broaden the path towards reduced carbon emissions.
“The Scania-Irizar electric-hybrid is a great addition to our ‘Charge Forward’ program, offering our clients lower emission fleet options,” Hulme says.
“With its incredible range, this coach is ideal for remote areas where BEV has challenges due to the current lack of infrastructure.
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“Charging infrastructure is the main barrier, both in regional and remote areas and also on mine sites. The electric-hybrid option delivers the best of both worlds at this stage as the market decides which direction it will take.”
With customer service at the core of Kuuwu Rentals’ focus, Hulme works on the belief that it’s the business’ responsibility to have what the market needs at any given time. With some of the equipment purchased costing millions of dollars, the rental agency knows that customers may only need the asset for 12 to 24 months, offering these vehicles for cheaper and shorter terms.
“We look after everything from registrations to servicing meaning less onus on the customer to worry about these administrative issues. We also like to be front runners and trial new equipment, so being one of the first movers on an asset like this is in line with our positioning,” he says.
“We chose Scania and Irizar as we only use brands we trust, and Scania is one of those brands that we put our trust in already through the purchase of trucks and buses. We have a reputation for supplying quality equipment, so it is imperative that we partner with brands we trust too.
“Our existing Scania vehicles have proved to be popular with clients as they are reliable and good quality. We mainly have Scania trucks on our fleet and several buses. We have been providing Scania products to our clients for nearly six years, and they are always popular, and we have a good relationship with Scania.
“We wanted to be first with this electric-hybrid coach. The specifications are great and in particular the range, and the vehicle fits our push towards reducing emissions across our customers’ operations. At present, full electric options aren’t viable for every client. Hybrids offer an excellent option for our clients who want to lower emissions without being dependant on infrastructure.”
Hulme says Kuuwu Rentals has a clear metric of determining the success of the electric-hybrid Scania and Irizar bus – client feedback. If it’s popular and performing as expected onsite, he expects others to want to move towards a hybrid option too.
“Our previous Scania experience has shown us that Scania aftersales support is always fantastic across service bookings, parts supply and assistance in the field,” he says.
The two coaches come powered by a Scania 5-cylinder diesel engine delivering 360hp and a 12-speed Scania Opticruise automated transmission. An electric machine is integrated to provide zero tailpipe emission running over a short distance. The electric-hybrid powertrain provides a self-charging electric experience while also removing traditional range anxiety.
“The new Scania-Irizar electric-hybrid combination is the ideal solution for customers looking to reduce their carbon footprint but not have to cope with range anxiety,” Scania Bus & Coach national sales and contract manager for Victoria, South Australia and WA Jamie Atkinson says.
“With mining operations customers looking to do all they can to reduce their emissions, the electric-hybrid powertrain we offer delivers an instant saving of around 25 per cent in fuel burn and tailpipe emissions. That’s a worthwhile saving in anyone’s books, and it means the operators retain full utilisation flexibility in terms of range and refuelling.
“To further push the reduction in emissions towards parity with full battery electric vehicles, switching to run these electric hybrids on renewable diesel fuel, such as B100 biodiesel or HVO, would drive the CO2 savings towards 85 per cent, and for infrastructure such as mining operations, where fuel is stored in bulk on site, this could make the adoption of renewable fuels all the more practical.
“The Scania-Irizar partnership has been a successful one for our customers over many years, and we are very excited by the prospect of assisting more customers to reduce their emissions and fuel burn via our electric-hybrid solution.”
