Victoria’s first fully electric bus depot will be charging 27 buses in Melbourne’s north by early 2024 as part of the Victorian Government’s Zero Emissions Bus Trial.
As part of the $20 million trial, bus operator Ventura will install 15 charging units to power the electric buses at its converted Ivanhoe depot, with its first 12 electric trial buses due to enter the network this year.
By early 2024, the depot’s 27 electric buses will be operating on nine routes across the northern suburbs, transporting up to 10,000 people each week including to La Trobe University and Northland Shopping Centre. They will cover more than 1.2 million kilometres over a year.
Major works to convert the depot into being fully electric will involve constructing a new substation on-site and the installation of battery-management technology and charging units, with works set to begin in begin July and completed by November this year.
The initiative will provide valuable insights into the challenges and issues involved with transitioning an entire bus depot to battery electric bus technology, ahead of other depots being built or converted in coming years.
The trial will form part of the Victorian Government’s commitment of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, with the State Government pledging that all new buses from 2025 will be zero emissions.
Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll said the learnings from the trial will be “invaluable” to the State Government’s transitioning to a fully electric bus depot.
“We’re transitioning away from dirty diesel to fume-free buses in an orderly and informed way that brings the bus operators, manufacturers and energy providers along with us,” he said.
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