The Victorian Government has partnered with Transdev to launch the state’s first locally-built, fully electric bus on one of Melbourne’s busiest routes.
The bus will run on Route 246 between Elsternwick and Clifton Hill via St Kilda before potentially being used across other inner Melbourne routes.
The body construction and fit out for the new bus was carried out in Dandenong by Volgren, supporting Victorian jobs and backing the local automotive industry to develop new capability and innovation.
The new zero-emission bus is fitted with 324 kWH of Lithium Phosphate batteries providing 300km of travel range.
The bus will not only help to reduce carbon emissions, it will also improve air quality and deliver a quieter and smoother ride for passengers.
It features a low floor, intelligent early detection collision avoidance systems, USB charging ports and will be among the cleanest commercial vehicles on Australian roads.
The bus will be based at Transdev’s North Fitzroy depot where a charging station has been installed.
The trial will continue until January 2021 and will be reviewed to determine the potential to roll out fully electric buses across Victoria.
Victorian Minister for Public Transport, Melissa Horne, said the project was about modernising, expanding and upgrading the state’s bus fleet, while “improving the passenger experience and trialling new technology with the aim of reducing the impact on the environment”.
CEO of Transdev Australasia, Luke Agati, said the company was the leading operator of zero-emission mobility solutions globally, and is delighted to partner with the Victorian Government to bring the technology to Melbourne.
“We believe electric buses will play an important role in Melbourne’s future public transport network and we’re looking forward to hearing from our customers about what they think of Melbourne’s first locally built, fully electric bus,” Mr Agati said.
