Australia’s first locally made electric “bendy” or articulated bus has been unveiled in Perth, the first of two to be rolled out by local public transport operator Transperth.
The two bendy buses are being built in Perth at local bus manufacturer Volgren’s Malaga facility atop the BZL Electric Articulated platform from Volvo, a low-floor, fully electric articulated chassis that measures 18 metres in length and seats 57, or over 100 including standing passengers.
Volvo’s rigid version of the BZL Electric has been operating in Australia since 2022 after the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia (PTA) became the country’s first transit operator to deploy Volvo electric buses with Volgren Optimum bodies. There are now more than 140 Volvo BZL Electric buses operating nationally.
The BZL Electric Articulated is fitted with 497 kWh of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and a dual-motor setup with a total 400kW of power. Recharging the buses takes approximately four hours.
“This is a genuine ‘Australia first’, and the Volvo BZL Electric Articulated has been built right here in Perth,” said Mark Fryer, director of product & industry for Volvo Buses Asia Pacific.
“It was developed with the Australian market in mind, and specifically to meet the needs of the PTA, an operator we have partnered with for more than a decade. Bringing a brand-new electric platform to market, locally bodied and tailored to the needs of the Perth transit network, is something we are incredibly proud of.”
The two buses are expected to begin testing along routes in Perth’s northern suburbs in the coming weeks, before entering full service some time around August.
“We’re proud to be leading the nation with the roll out of our first locally made electric ‘bendy’ buses – made right here in WA,” said Rita Saffioti, state minister for transport.
“These two new buses build on our growing electric bus fleet, with 11 new electric buses entering service each month.”
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