CREATE
  • Technology
    • BIOTECH
    • COMMUNICATIONS
    • COMPUTING
    • IMAGING
    • MATERIALS
    • ROBOTICS
    • SOFTWARE
  • Industry
    • DEFENCE
    • INFRASTRUCTURE
    • INNOVATION
    • MANUFACTURING
    • POLICY
    • PROJECTS
    • TRANSPORT
  • Sustainability
    • ENERGY
    • ENVIRONMENT
    • RESOURCES
  • Community
    • CULTURE
    • PEOPLE
  • Career
    • EDUCATION
    • INSPIRATION
    • LEADERSHIP
    • TRENDS
  • About
    • CONTACT
    • SUBSCRIBE
No Result
View All Result
CREATE
  • Technology
    • BIOTECH
    • COMMUNICATIONS
    • COMPUTING
    • IMAGING
    • MATERIALS
    • ROBOTICS
    • SOFTWARE
  • Industry
    • DEFENCE
    • INFRASTRUCTURE
    • INNOVATION
    • MANUFACTURING
    • POLICY
    • PROJECTS
    • TRANSPORT
  • Sustainability
    • ENERGY
    • ENVIRONMENT
    • RESOURCES
  • Community
    • CULTURE
    • PEOPLE
  • Career
    • EDUCATION
    • INSPIRATION
    • LEADERSHIP
    • TRENDS
  • About
    • CONTACT
    • SUBSCRIBE
No Result
View All Result
CREATE
No Result
View All Result
Home Industry Transport

Electric buses are taking over public transport of the future

Nadine Cranenburgh by Nadine Cranenburgh
March 28, 2018
in Transport
3 min read
1
Electric buses are taking over public transport of the future

A ride on an electric bus might be a novelty now, but before the end of the next decade, almost half the world’s bus commuters will be boarding sustainably powered vehicles.

According to a recent report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), the number of electric public buses in use globally will almost triple from the 2017 figure of 386,000 to approximately 1.2 million by 2025. This will bring the proportion of electric buses on the road around the world to 47 per cent.

electric bus Canberra
An electric bus takes to the streets of Canberra.

While the upfront costs to purchase an electric bus are currently more than those of their gas and diesel counterparts, the report also found that expected reductions in battery prices could make them competitive with diesel buses in less than 10 years.

BNEF also stated the cost of fuelling and maintaining an electric bus over a lifetime is already less than gas and diesel vehicles.

China powering ahead

According to BNEF analyst and report author Aleksandra O’Donovan, China will lead the push for battery-powered public road transport. In the next seven years, the world’s most populous nation will be home to 99 per cent of the globe’s electric buses.

“China will lead this market, due to strong domestic support and aggressive city-level targets,” O’Donovan explained.

number of electric buses in the worldThe electric vehicle market leader in China, BYD, has already taken advantage of the government’s backing of the sector. Last year the company sold 128,000 electric and hybrid electric vehicles, an increase of almost 28,000 from their 2016 sales.

BYD buses are currently ferrying commuters in 200 countries.

Other nations are set to follow China’s lead. In January, mayors in the US state of California urged the state’s environmental regulator to introduce incentives to increase its clean bus fleet.

European cities including Paris and Amsterdam are also working towards cutting their public bus emissions to zero.

According to BNEF, bus fleets are a prime candidate for electrification due to their fixed routes and key role in urban transport architecture.

Australian trends

In Australia, many cities are implementing or trialling electric bus technology in line with global efforts.

electric bus in South Australia
SA Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation Kyam Maher (far left) in front of an electric bus.

In June last year, the first Australian-built electric public bus was commissioned by South Australian company Precision Buses. This was the first of two electric and two low-emissions buses funded by a state government grant of $2 million.

According to former South Australian Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation Kyam Maher, the project was designed to help workers transition to new roles leading up to the closure of General Motors Holden.

“This project demonstrates how capable our automotive workers are, with skills that can be used in advanced manufacturing and other industries,” Maher said.

The ACT government is also running a 12 month trial (at the cost of $900,000) of two Carbridge electric buses and a hybrid Volvo bus to compare their performance to that of the existing conventional fleet.

Perth in Western Australia is one of only three cities in the world to pioneer the NAVYA electric Autonom, which is not only electric but fully automated as well.

While the cost of hybrid electric buses is still considerably lower than fully electric models, Volvo Bus Australia’s national contract manager Ian Clarke said that the future is electric.

“Volvo has electric chassis in development and actually in service in Europe, which we are planning on bringing to Australia at some point in the future,” he said.

And, according to Carbridge CEO Luke Todd, the lower operating costs of electric buses will pay for themselves in four years.

“We have plans to roll them out across the country,” he said.

Tags: electric vehiclesustainabilitytransport
Previous Post

How to engineer safer, more efficient lithium batteries 

Next Post

Where are all of the pro bono engineers?

Nadine Cranenburgh

Nadine Cranenburgh

Nadine Cranenburgh is an electrical engineer with postgraduate qualifications in environmental engineering, and professional writing and editing. She works as a freelance writer and editor specialising in complex topics that draw on her experience in the engineering, local government, defence and environment industries.

Next Post
Where are all of the pro bono engineers?

Where are all of the pro bono engineers?

Comments 1

  1. Pingback: Federal Budget 2019-20: Infrastructure and STEM windfall should come with a grain of salt - Create

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    WANT CREATE NEWS DELIVERED DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX? SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER.

    By subscribing to create you are also subscribing to Engineers Australia content.
    Please find our Terms and conditions here

    Create Digital is powered by Engineers Australia, the trusted voice of the engineering profession. We are the global home for engineering professionals renowned as leaders in shaping a sustainable world.
    • ABOUT US
    • CONTACT US
    • SITEMAP
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS
    • SUBSCRIBE

    © 2022 Create.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Technology
      • BIOTECH
      • COMMUNICATIONS
      • COMPUTING
      • IMAGING
      • MATERIALS
      • ROBOTICS
      • SOFTWARE
    • Industry
      • DEFENCE
      • INFRASTRUCTURE
      • INNOVATION
      • MANUFACTURING
      • POLICY
      • PROJECTS
      • TRANSPORT
    • Sustainability
      • ENERGY
      • ENVIRONMENT
      • RESOURCES
    • Community
      • CULTURE
      • PEOPLE
    • Career
      • EDUCATION
      • INSPIRATION
      • LEADERSHIP
      • TRENDS
    • About
      • CONTACT
      • SUBSCRIBE