VDI Australia has secured a massive electric bus contract win in Canberra to supply nearly 100 electric Yutong buses in a historic announcement
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VDI has landed a massive deal to supply electric buses to Transport Canberra
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VDI Australia, the local distributor of Yutong buses and coaches, has secured a historic deal in the nation’s capital with nearly 100 electric buses set to land in Canberra.
The ACT government has announced its successful procurement of new zero-emissions buses, signing an $83.5 million contract with VDI to buy 90 Yutong E12 battery electric buses and is in negotiations to get another four Element battery electric buses alongside Custom Denning.
It’s a major win for Yutong and VDI Australia, with the further 94 battery electric buses increasing the ACT’s zero-emissions bus fleet to 106 over the next three years as part of its goal to have a fully electric bus fleet by 2040.
Currently the ACT government has 12 electric buses as part of a five-year lease.
The ACT government, led by transport minister Chris Steel, says the agreement with VDI will provide the territory’s passengers with a cleaner, quieter and more comfortable ride while cutting transport emissions.
“These new buses will deliver the biggest change in technology for Canberra’s bus fleet in decades as part of our Zero-Emission Transition Plan for Transport Canberra,” Steel told RiotAct.
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“The ACT is a leader in zero-emissions transport with the largest fleet of electric buses delivered per capita in our nation. This will transition more than 20 per cent of our bus fleet to zero-emission technology, with the rest of the fleet transitioning by 2040 or earlier.”
Alongside this vehicle deal, VDI will also be supplying the electric charging infrastructure. This will join the ACT government’s recent commenced work with Evoenergy to upgrade grid infrastructure to supply the new Woden and existing Tuggeranong bus depots so they can charge up to 300 electric buses.
The government is also progressively training its drivers and workshop staff in this new technology.
The new Yutong electric buses are set to first begin delivery later this year, being steadily delivered through to 2026.
The first 12 electric buses have already travelled more than 100,000 kilometres in their first few months of operating, leaving the ACT government excited about continuing to work with its preferred providers in VDI and Custom Bus Group.
“The new electric buses will initially replace ageing diesel and CNG [compressed natural gas] buses but will also grow the fleet overall to service our growing city,” Steel says.
“Our first 12 electric buses have been successfully delivering services every day right across the Transport Canberra network. We are confident that the new zero-emission buses will deliver the same reliable, clean, quiet and comfortable services.”
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