The Department of Transport has announced the arrival of the first Transperth electric bus in Perth.
In a statement, the Department said electric buses would be trialled on the Joondalup Central Area Transit (CAT) bus route from early next year and would be the first electric buses to be operated on the Transperth network.
Minister for Transport, Rita Saffioti said the trial would determine the reliability and efficiency of the buses, with factors to be evaluated including performance, energy efficiency, emissions reductions, lifecycle costs and risks.
“The vehicles will go through a commissioning process over coming months, including licensing, staff training and final testing, before receiving their unique branding livery for the Joondalup CAT route,” Ms Saffioti said.
“The new bus is the first of two electric vehicles destined for the Joondalup route, with the second due for delivery later this year,” she said.
The Minister said the Joondalup bus depot had been upgraded to accommodate the new electric buses with a high-voltage electric vehicle charging system, the power coming partly from a 100kW solar array and battery storage system.
“The trial vehicles will be supplied by Volvo through its existing bus supply agreement, with the cost of a Volvo electric bus at the current Transperth specification estimated at $1 million per vehicle,” she said.
“As part of the $549 million bus supply contract awarded in March 2019, Volvo Buses, in partnership with Volgren Australia, is supplying 90 buses a year for five years.”
Ms Saffioti said the contract also included the potential to deliver additional electric vehicles in the future, if the trial was a success.
