In the years since the very first zero-emissions buses were introduced to the Australian industry, there have been plenty of questions about the safety and reliability of electric bus technology. Can they be trusted to complete daily operational tasks in a variety of applications and climates? Is there enough range to satisfy the needs of both operators and government procurement teams? Will they maintain uptime and provide value over its lifespan?
As the local industry continues to adjust to zero-emissions buses and the various challenges that come with it, Volvo Bus Australia has taken a slightly different approach since it first unveiled its BZL Electric model in 2021. Now, with its Volvo BZR Electric coach also en route to local roads, the OEM giant is applying the lessons from its electric bus deployments to ensure ongoing success from a total operational perspective.
“Recent public scrutiny across the sector, from supply chain governance to storage and rectification periods, and even cybersecurity questions, shows that the success of zero-emissions programs hinges on whole-of-life capability,” Volvo Bus Australia general manager Mitch Peden told ABC.
Since the very first Volvo BZL Electric went into service in Australia, Volvo Bus Australia has been out to define the measures of success for this new technology. It quickly found that enduring reliability is a true yardstick for measuring the triumph of its zero-emissions models.
Peden says those at the forefront of the Australasian bus industry – the operators – have fast moved past the topic of price when determining the value of zero-emissions buses. Instead, he says they’ve focused on if the technology can deliver the timetable required, every day, at scale. This may sound simple, but it’s since been broken into a complex array of requirements for Australian operations.
Cybersecurity is one example of a challenge that has emerged in the local industry as it shifts to zero-emissions buses. Safety has been another, as has the ability to keep these new-age buses out on the roads and constantly available for operators to use. This has led Peden and his team to determine that legitimately proving reliability is the core principle to determining the success of Volvo’s electric bus offerings in the local market. To do so, the brand has lent on its points of difference – uptime, serviceability and lifecycle support.
“In practice, operators don’t buy a bus anymore – they buy the confidence that the bus will show up and perform on its duty cycle, in local conditions, with local support,” he says.
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“There’s a lot of noise in the zero-emissions space, but legitimacy comes from delivery. At Volvo, we’re focused on doing exactly what we say we will: putting buses into service, supporting them properly and making sure they perform in real-world operations, day after day.”
This success in the local zero-emissions sphere to date can be attributed to Volvo Bus Australia’s perspective on the ongoing transition. Peden says Volvo views electrification as a transition that must be supported by specialist electromobility support, such as planning, integration and aftersales – not just the delivery of the bus. To legitimately prove this reliability, Volvo has focused on remaining consistent and trustworthy in the electric bus sphere since 2021 alongside its major customer and government operator network.
This idea of reliability has extended beyond the initial delivery to now encompass a whole-of-life commitment, including training, service networks, parts and diagnostic support as key offerings to its customers. When it comes to tendering for new electric bus networks, Volvo has sought to keep it simple and allow its operator partners to deliver on promises and secure more contract wins.
Focusing on the vehicle’s design, Peden says it’s all about meeting the Australian context. From duty cycles to climate and compliance, Volvo has concentrated on designing battery electric buses for the “Australian real world” of heat, route variability, depot realities and evolving regulatory requirements. With the latter remaining non-negotiable and complex, especially for new technology categories, Peden says choosing platforms with deep compliance experience reduces the risk for operators. As zero-emissions bus standards continue to evolve, Volvo is positioning itself as a mature engineering and compliance manufacturing partner for operators to value and trust.
The goal is to combine local partnerships with local capabilities to reduce the risk of downtime, particularly on expensive assets like electric buses. Since its first local foray into zero-emissions buses nearly five years ago, Volvo Bus Australia has looked to create a total network of parts and support for electric customers. By publicly documenting local manufacturing and partnership arrangements, such as its connection with Volgren to support local content ambitions, Volvo is looking to enhance its “real-world operations” with local build integration, parts flow, fast response times and technician capabilities.
This has led to Volvo emphasising its national technical training delivery at no cost to the operator, introducing a practical lever for uptime as fleets continue growing.
“Fleet electrification is an industrial capability story as much as a vehicle story,” Peden says.
“Skills, parts, diagnostics and support determine whether buses stay on the road.”
With this influx of new technology in the bus sector comes a wealth of fresh data for the industry to use. Peden says Volvo treats modern electric uses as connected assets, meaning operators and governments increasingly care about who can access systems, how updates are managed and how risk is governed.
In the face of recent reporting on cybersecurity around electric buses, Volvo Buses is reinforcing its compliance with European Union data security protocols such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the EU Data Act (Regulation 2023/2854). This ensures that data retrieval, processing and sharing are conducted in a secure, transparent and lawful manner.
“Across the sector, cybersecurity and data governance are becoming part of ‘operational reliability’ because a bus can’t be considered dependable if its digital risk profile is unclear,” Peden says.
In the five years since Volvo Bus Australia first entered the local zero-emissions bus conversation with its BZL Electric, plenty has changed across the industry. While discussions continue about uptime, safety and security, the global manufacturer is focusing on its own total package and the key value that underpins it all – reliability.
“As public transport networks scale up, the industry is seeing that zero-emissions bus procurement is as much about operational readiness, compliance, data governance and lifecycle support as it is about the initial price of the bus,” Peden says.
“Volvo’s point of difference in this time has been our operational approach, with platforms, serviceability, training and local support designed to keep buses in service and not sitting idle.”
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