The first electric bus to be manufactured as part of a joint $250 million Australian and Western Australian government initiative has now been completed.
Canberra committed $125 million toward electric bus charging infrastructure in Perth and the state government made a $125 million commitment for the acquisition of 130 locally manufactured electric buses.
The electric bus was built and manufactured locally at the Volgren facility in Malaga, in Perth’s north (pictured).
The investment will also include the installation of charging infrastructure at key depots and major upgrades to manufacturing facilities to support the future production of electric buses.
The first bus is now undergoing testing and commissioning and is expected to enter services in the next two months.
Western Australian Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said: “Not only are these buses cleaner and better for the environment, they’re also cheaper to operate than the current diesel buses.
“The fact that four electric buses being trialled in Joondalup have saved 350 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions while carrying more than 440,000 passengers in just two years, shows why this technology is considered the future of bus travel in cities all around the world.
The new bus will be one of 18 electric buses used on the CBD CAT bus routes, with a $1.65 million contract recently awarded JET Charge Pty Ltd to install charging infrastructure at the Elizabeth Quay Bus Station.
All 18 new electric CAT buses are expected to be in service by the middle of next year, with each bus able to travel up to 300 kilometres on a single charge.
The delivery of the first full fleet of electric buses comes after a trial of four electric buses began in the Joondalup area, in northern Perth, in February 2022.
All four electric buses are still in service, operating from the Joondalup Bus Depot using a high-voltage EV charging system to power the buses.
Volgren has been building Transperth buses at its Malaga facility since 1999, with more than 2,200 manufactured and delivered over that time.
Picture: Volgren Perth