There’s milestones everywhere you look with Australian-based bodybuilder Volgren. 2024 marks 45 years since Volgren built its first bus, made from Hess aluminium on top of a Volvo B58 mid-engine chassis, with the company commemorating the historic moment throughout the year.
But there’s plenty more to be celebrating. Volgren has recognised the 25-year anniversary of its Malaga factory. This year also marks 15 years of Volgren’s Eagle Farm factory in Brisbane, while the bodybuilder is also set to deliver its 10,000th bus in Australia.
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“2024 has been a milestone year for Volgren and our entire team,” Volgren Australia CEO Thiago Deiro told ABC.
“It’ll be a highlight to deliver the 10,000th bus to the Public Transport Authority (PTA) in Perth – it’s a testament to Volgren’s product quality, reliability and legacy in Australia.”
Volgren has been intent to not stop and smell the roses in such a milestone-laden year. During these jubilant times, Volgren secured a landmark 165-unit order from Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) to produce rail replacement buses, allowing Volgren to double its Brisbane capacity through the addition of nearly 70 jobs that are now achieving record deliveries.
“Volgren is currently manufacturing and delivering 20 buses per month to DTMR and, across all sites, nearly 60 buses per month,” Deiro says.
“Despite our high production volume, we’re especially proud that every delivery date we’ve promised has been met, with all factories operating at zero days of lateness.”
On the product front, the bodybuilder has also made impressive strides, delivering its 150th zero-emissions bus and showcasing four new models at the National Bus and Coach Show in Brisbane.
These vehicles, ranging from the Volgren Optimus electric bus on a BYD B12A chassis with Blade Battery Technology and Marcopolo’s Audace midi-coach on top of a Volvo B8R chassis to Volgren’s first hydrogen product in its Optimus body on a Wrightbus Hydroliner chassis, highlight a dedication to continue producing more technology for the local market. Now, a new partnership with another leading bus and coach manufacturer is seeing Volgren push for further success in Australia.
A couple of years ago, Volgren was approached by the global headquarters of Yutong to discuss a chassis distribution partnership. While the pair were traditionally competitors, with Yutong focusing on selling its complete buses, the conversation was driven by Yutong’s recent partnership with the Marcopolo Group at a global level. The discussions saw both companies agree to work together on the latest bus technology for the Australian market.
“Both are global leaders in the bus industry and have since collaborated to bring electric bus solutions to markets worldwide across the city and coach segments,” Volgren Australia chief commercial officer Yuri Tessari told ABC.
“From this global partnership, regional relationships developed in Australia, resulting in the impressive new bus we’ve since launched.”
The result of this combination of global powerhouses is the Volgren Optimus electric bus body that sits on Yutong’s electric E12 chassis, bringing two high-quality products together into the one vehicle. The exciting model was launched at the National Bus and Coach Show in Brisbane earlier this year, with local bus enthusiasts getting the chance to see the vehicle on display for the first time.
The electric bus is the latest instalment of combined vehicles produced by the two brands, with Marcopolo and Yutong having worked together to deliver buses in leading public transport markets such as Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, China and now Australia.
Weighing in at 12.6 tonnes, the mixture of two experienced companies has resulted in a vehicle that is the lightest low-floor electric model in Volgren’s Australian fleet.
“The Volgren and Yutong electric bus partnership has resulted in an exceptional product combination,” Tessari says.
Brenton McCallum, Volgren’s Head of Engineering, agrees that the product has unique advantages.
“The lightweight nature of the model has allowed us to maximise the number of standees, resulting in a total capacity of 81 passengers, a level previously only achievable with diesel buses,” he told ABC.
“It’s a significant advancement in battery efficiency and bus capacity, with the complete bus leading us to anticipate industry-leading energy efficiency.”
The partnership may have had its first grand reveal, but neither side of the combination is looking to slow down the production aspect anytime soon. Tessari says Volgren and Yutong are already working on the 399 kWh and 422 kWh versions of the battery electric bus with CCS2 and pantograph charging options available. Following this, he is also teasing an aluminium school bus (Endura) based on Yutong’s electric high-floor chassis that is in the pipeline.
While this major industry partnership understandably stole plenty of attention at the Brisbane show, Volgren kept its stand busy throughout the two day event. The launch of the Volgren and Yutong electric bus coincided with the launch of Volgren’s hydrogen foray with Wrightbus, with the well-established Volgren and Volvo electric bus, Volgren’s school and charter Audace model and the Optimus electric bus on top of BYD’s Blade Battery chassis also receiving waves of interest at the show.
“The National Bus and Coach Show truly was an impressive event – we’d like to congratulate the Bus Industry Confederation on the fantastic job they did in organising the show, as attendance was strong and the days were lively and engaging,” Tessari says.
“Our new products attracted significant interest from operators and government representatives across Australia, while our electric buses stood out for their quality, innovative design and lightweight build, offering high capacity and greater efficiency for the local market.”
Understandably, the new electric buses were the highlights of the show, but Tessari says the new hydrogen bus model was also a star attraction.
Featuring a unique design, advanced hydrogen systems and premium specifications in the form of a full-LED colour destination sign, camera mirrors and enclosed driver protection screens, the first-of-its-kind member of Volgren’s local fleet has plenty to offer. Chuck in a 16-camera CCTV system, dual 29” passenger information screens and ergonomic seating, and Volgren is at the precipice of high-quality hydrogen fuel-cell bus technology in Australia.
In its final part of its bustling Bus and Coach Show space, Volgren also highlighted its 45-year partnership with Hess by combining stands to showcase the Hess LighTram bi-articulated electric vehicle. The model is the centrepiece of Brisbane City Council’s Metro project, with Volgren preparing the unique electric vehicles at its Eagle Farm facility.
“Hess and Volgren have remained linked through the Aluminium Co-Bolt technology system for over 45 years,” Deiro says.
“Alongside this showcase with Hess, we also brought a bus assembly section to the show to highlight the impressive engineering that goes on behind the scenes to produce this technology.”
Volgren clearly has its fingers in many different pies, combining with the bus and coach industry in a variety of ways to produce the latest manufacturing technology in the space. With 2024 being such a major year in the company’s history, Deiro is now focused on continuing to reinforce Volgren’s quality and innovation in the Australian bus and coach market while remaining committed to its staff.
On the verge of its 10,000th bus delivery to finish a successful year, the goal for Volgren is to leverage both its global partnerships and its own local staff to leave no stone unturned on its evolution as a leading Australian bus and coach manufacturer.
“We support local industry by directly employing 500 people and creating nearly 2,000 indirect jobs. Through our network of 1,700 active local suppliers, we invest hundreds of millions into the Australian economy each year,” Deiro says.
“Additionally, we offer comprehensive local support with over 60 dedicated staff across our four service facilities nationwide.
“Volgren’s expectation is to continue to work with our industry partners to bring the best zero-emission technology there is to Australia, expanding our product portfolio and delivering a great bus combination to our long-standing customers. Our aim is to continue to be the best bus body supplier to our customers and OEM partners.
“We want to foster trustworthy and honest partnerships where all parties work together towards a common goal, bringing great product solutions and the highest levels of support to our customers.”