The Australian city of Canberra has purchased 94 electric buses. The first should be delivered later this year, while the rest will join the city fleet progressively through 2026.
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government has ordered 90 buses from the Chinese manufacturer Yutong. The choice fell on its E12 model. And manufacturer Custom Denning will deliver the remaining four buses – the Element model.
It is the largest order of electric buses from Canberra, bringing its fleet to 106 zero emission buses. According to the ACT website, the buses in Canberra travel an average of 300 kilometres and run for an average of 11 hours per day. The first 12 buses went into service last year and were also manufactured by the companies mentioned above.
The Yutong E12 measures 12 metres in length. Each bus can carry up to 70 passengers. They are fitted with 16 lithium-ion batteries with a total capacity of 295 kWh. The manufacturer says nine batteries are placed in the rear of the bus; the remaining seven are mounted to the roof.
The Custom Denning Element has room for up to 45 passengers and a battery with a total capacity of 378 kWh. According to the manufacturer, that should allow the bus to go up to 500 kilometres on one charge.
The ACT decided to procure the first electric buses at the end of 2020. The goal is for the capital’s entire bus fleet to be all-electric by 2040.
act.gov.au