ACT adds new electric buses made by Australia’s oldest bus builder

An Australian-made electric bus from New South Wales bus manufacturer Custom Denning is set to hit the road in Canberra, one of four soon set to join the Capital’s fleet of zero emission vehicles.

Canberra’s minister for transport and city services, Chris Steel, announced on Monday that the new Custom Denning ‘Element’ low-floor battery electric bus is soon to begin services in Canberra.

Built in Sydney, the new Element electric bus has six 63kWh batteries for a total of 378kWh of capacity and boasts a driving range of 400 kilometres. Optimal seating capacity of 45.

A total of four Element electric buses from Custom Denning – the country’s oldest bus maker – are due to join Canberra’s bus fleet, bringing the city’s electric bus fleet to 16, with an additional 90 electric buses to be delivered over the next three years.

“According to the Australia Institute, the ACT is leading the country by the number of electric buses delivered per capita and these new buses will further increase our growing zero emission fleet,” Steel said in a statement.

“The ACT is also a leader in delivering nation leading electric vehicle training and we are supporting our heavy vehicle workforce to skill up for the transition to this new technology.”

The new buses will operate out of the Belconnen bus depot, and each bus will take around five hours to charge.

“Electric buses are cutting noise pollution and harmful noxious emissions on our streets,” Steel said.  “These buses are so quiet that they are fitted with sound warnings when the bus starts to reduce speeds below 20 kilometres per hour or starts to increase speeds up to 23 kilometres per hour. This promotes safety for pedestrians and people with vision impairment.”