Electric buses coming to Christchurch

Red Bus will introduce a fully electric urban bus service to Christchurch early next year.

This follows the signing of a deal to purchase three electric buses, expected to be delivered by next March.

The new buses will be used on the direct service route 29 between downtown Christchurch and Christchurch Airport which carries more than 200,000 passengers annually.

The route between the city centre and the airport is ideal for the fully-battery electric -powered ADL/BYD buses, Red Bus chief executive Paul McNoe says.

These will be permanent replacements for three diesel buses to help promote the technology and commitment to sustainability to Christchurch visitors and residents.

“Based on current use of a similar electric bus design in Sydney, Canberra, London and China, we’ll be able to use them all day on the airport service without needing a recharge,” McNoe says.

“Using electric buses on the airport service achieves four objectives simultaneously.” These are an improvement in customer service through lower internal and external noise levels, the immediate and long-term reduction in exhaust emissions, reduced carbon consumption for this service and the opportunity to demonstrate the latest vehicle technology.

“We are expecting immediate environmental and health benefits from these battery electric powered buses,” McNoe says.

“The zero tailpipe emissions reduce our annual carbon footprint by 5% or 290 tonnes.”

Red Bus says it is committed to using renewable energy sources and assisting with New Zealand’s moves to combat climate change.

It will test the new buses on other routes – including Christchurch’s hill suburbs – once they have settled into service.

The ADL/BYD electric bus has been developed through a joint venture between BYD Auto in China and Alexander Dennis in the UK. Red Bus will monitor their performance through its telematics monitoring system which provides real time feedback to drivers on their acceleration, braking, cornering and speed; as well as driver and customer feedback.

The Christchurch Agency for Energy Trust (CAfE) and Environment Canterbury (ECan) support the project.

“This service will provide us with significant insights and learnings to help shape how we leverage this technology to evolve the public transport service for Greater Christchurch and Canterbury,” ECan’s public transport senior manager Stewart Gibbon says.

Christchurch City Council’s resource efficiency manager Kevin Crutchley, who worked with Red Bus on researching available battery electric bus technology, says the e-bus service is excellent news for the city in both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

“It also aligns well with the council’s commitment to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy which requires a climate action plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”