Australasian Bus & Coach – May 2019

(^8) ABC May 2019 busnews.com.au
Above:
Volgren has
access to a range
of electric bus
technologies and
types, including
electric rigid,
articulated and
bi-articulated
(rubber-tyred
tram) buses, the
company says.
VOLGREN’S FIRST
ELECTRIC BUS BUILD
MARCOPOLO-OWNED
Volgren has begun its move
into zero-emission vehicle
technology, starting its first
ever electric bus production
onto a BYD e-bus chassis, it’s
reported recently.
Touted as Australia’s largest
bus body builder, Volgren says
its prototype will be completed
by the middle of June, 2019,
and will include 324kWh of
batteries, enabling a range of
more than 250 kilometres on
a single charge.
According to the company,
the depleted batteries will take
4-5 hours to fully replenish with
the use of a charger, a system
commonly known as overnight
or depot charging.
Volgren Business
Development manager Jon
Tozer says the company has
been investigating electric
vehicles for more than five
years and the prototype itself
has been a full 12 months in
the making.
“We’ve known for some
time that the bus industry was
about to go through its biggest
transformation in three or four
decades. And we wanted to
approach this shift with the
best information at our disposal.
We wanted to understand the
products, the technologies and
the solutions available in the
market before beginning our
work in earnest.”
“In the case of this first electric
bus, we wanted to ensure that
we built on a known quantity.
We didn’t want to conduct a
science experiment, or work
with a conglomerate of part
suppliers attempting to provide
a solution.
“We wanted something that
will work from the start.”
COST MATTERS
Tozer says while the initial
capital cost of the bus will be
higher than a standard diesel,
that’s not the full story.
“When you take into account
the significant operation saving
in maintenance and energy
costs per kilometre – as well as
the significant fall in the cost
and increase in energy density
of batteries over the last few
years – we’re nearing the point
where total cost of ownership
will soon be the same as it is for
a diesel, if it isn’t already.”
And although the news of the
prototype is just off the presses,
the industry response has been
positive, says Volgren.
“More operators and agencies
are looking to zero emissions
buses for the first time and,
since announcing this build,
we’ve been encouraged by
the interest we’ve received
from government and private
operators.”
“Volgren has always
specialised in the design,
development and application of
new technologies.
“We’ve introduced many
revolutionary bus solutions
to the market – starting with
aluminium bodies.
NEWS IN FOCUS