First all-electric bus on the road

The first fully battery-powered electric bus took to Auckland roads on March 7, servicing AUT’s Northcote and Manukau campuses.

The 35-seater is part of AUT’s fleet in a joint initiative between AUT, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) and bus company Tranzit Group.

While providing sustainable transport for hundreds of students daily, the bus operates as a mobile research tool providing data to understand the economics and performance of electric buses on New Zealand roads, the NZ Herald reports.

It has 12 battery packs and a 180km range.

About $738,500 has been paid by Tranzit Group and EECA to cover the cost of upskilling engineers so the country’s first electric bus could be developed and built locally. The money also covers charging infrastructure.

Kiwi Bus Builders in Tauranga built the body and the electric engines and chassis were built by Times Electric Group in China.

The project is an important step in the evolution of bus transport in New Zealand, Tranzit Group managing director Paul Snelgrove says.

“There are more than 9500 large diesel buses in New Zealand and, to replace these with a greener fleet, we need to demonstrate the performance and viability of electric buses.”