Australia’s largest bus body builder Volgren has partnered with leading European hydrogen bus manufacturer, Wrightbus to make fuel cell electric buses for the Australian market.
Volgren, headquartered in Dandenong, Victoria, expects to deliver the first hydrogen fuel cell bus in the first quarter of 2023. The partnership follows on the heels of Volgren’s successful grant from the Victorian Government’s Renewable Hydrogen Commercialisation Pathways Fund.
Yuri Tessari, Volgren’s chief commercial officer, said the company believes that hydrogen has an important place in Australia. “We are confident the partnership will help speed up the deployment of hydrogen buses in Australia,” he said.
“Wrightbus builds bodies for their products in the UK and Europe,” he continued. “In fact, they use similar body technology to Volgren, namely bolted extruded aluminium profiles.”
“This shared expertise and understanding is one of the many aspects of the partnership that we think will make it a success,” he said.
Wrightbus CEO Buta Atwal said it’s the first time the company has exported its powertrains to a bus body manufacturer. Additionally, the partnership also marks the company’s first foray into Australia.
“We know from our extensive experience the significant part hydrogen can play in the decarbonisation of public transport,” he said.
“We believe the scope for uptake across the Australian market is huge as the country makes the vital switch to zero-emission vehicles. We’re excited to be in from the start.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.