New Zealand brand Zemtec has officially launched its first electric bus at the NZ Bus and Coach Association Conference
New electric bus brand Zemtec (Zero Emission Technologies) has unveiled its first designed and built electric bus this week.
The milestone bus was developed and manufactured in Auckland before first taking passengers on a trial ride during Rotorua’s Bus and Coach Association Conference.
The Zemtec E-City electric bus is an exciting move for the country’s zero-emissions bus industry, after Global Bus Ventures (formally Designline) built and designed the first electric and hydrogen buses in New Zealand.
Zemtec says the E-City has a range of around 300 kilometres and has 30 per cent more efficiency than other e-buses in the New Zealand market.
The novel design becomes Zemtec’s first fully electric bus to be completely designed, created and built in New Zealand.
“We’ve been able to take advantage of the new technology and make it much lighter and more comfortable, with a completely flat floor running from the front to the back of the bus,” Zemtec chief executive John Bayes says.
The bus supports Zemtec’s move to meet its ambitious zero-emissions bus targets.
Zemtec wants to have a completely decarbonised bus fleet by 2035, with the E-City fulfilling this goal by running on batteries with support from solar panels built into the bus’s roof.
“We’re going to clean up this fleet faster than anyone though possible,” Bayes says.