Transgrid and Zenobe to power Australia’s biggest electric bus depot

NSW-based transmission company Transgrid and UK battery storage specialist Zenobē have teamed up to power Australia’s biggest electric bus depot, to be located in the Sydney suburb of Leichhardt.

The $40 million project – part of the NSW government’s plan to electrify all of the city’s 8,000 buses – will create a “next-generation” electric bus depot that integrates electric vehicles, chargers, solar generation and batteries with the electricity grid.

The facility will be big enough to power 40 electric buses – which will be the biggest single fleet in Australia to date.  Previous trials had been limited to just four buses.

The 40 electric buses will feature 366kWh and 422kWh onboard batteries, and the depot will be retrofitted with five 120kW electric bus chargers capable of charging two buses at a time, thirty one 80kW electric bus chargers, as well as 2.5 MW/4.5 MWh of stationary batteries, and 387kW of rooftop solar PV.

The first 12 of the 40 new electric buses will begin to enter service this month, with the rest of the fleet arriving over the next 4 months.

The first buses will be operated by Transit Systems, owned by SeaLink Travel, which has already been running 15 electric buses on Sydney streets.

“Our customers are telling us they feel better on an electric bus – and that’s really important to us because it means sustainability isn’t just a trend or catch phrase – it’s a real vision that we can all connect on and work towards,” said Sealink CEO Clint Feuerherdt.

Zenobē co-founder and director Steven Meersman said the buses will be able to perform a full day of operations on a single charge and can be charged overnight, without having a negative impact on the grid, thanks to the batteries.

“Transgrid and Zenobe (will) provide the batteries for the buses, stationary storage, depot conversion and charging infrastructure and ensure vehicles are always fully charged on time, and have the required range,” Meersman said.

“Together we’re proudly showcasing what is possible when it comes to the delivery of zero emission transport and we commend Transit Systems on their commitment to producing more sustainable transport solutions.”

Eva Hanly, the head of strategy, innovation and technology for Transgrid, said the partnership with Zenobē will provide a proven industry blueprint for how this can be done effectively at scale.

“The model we’re using could be used to facilitate the roll-out of electric buses and commercial vehicles at large scale across Australia. As we plan for the energy system of the future, this project will give us the data we need to understand how electrification of transport will affect energy supply and demand patterns,” she said.

The project will receive $5 million funding the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and $24.5 million in debt finance from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC). The project will share knowledge and performance data through ARENA’s knowledge sharing program, which will support the roll-out of electric buses across Australia.

“Heavy vehicle transport is an important area to target given that together buses and trucks account for 25 per cent of transport related carbon emissions and five per cent of Australia’s total carbon emissions,” ARENA CEO Darren Miller said in a statement.

“This trial represents the next step in helping to reduce emissions in public transport and heavy transport. We’re excited to be working alongside the consortium in showcasing this Australian-first initiative that we hope will kickstart the rollout of electric buses throughout the nation.”

Zenobē is an EV fleet and battery storage specialist that has around 175MW of contracted storage assets, and around 25 per cent market share of the EV bus sector in the UK. It uses its own proprietary software and offers second-life battery solutions by repurposing batteries after their first life.