The last diesel bus to ever be manufactured in Western Australia has left the manufacturing facility, with the re-elected Labor government delivering on its promise to phase out diesel bus production and build only fully electric buses and ferries.
On Wednesday, premier Roger Cook said the last diesel bus ever manufactured in Western Australia had left the Volgren bus manufacturing facility for passenger services, some six years after the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia had ordered up to 900 new diesel buses from Volvo Buses.
The 2019 order, worth $274 million at the time, was designed to deliver an average of 90 buses per year for up to 10 years – split between an initial 5-year contract with an option to extend for a further 5 years. It is unclear at this stage whether the optional 5 years was ever given the go-ahead, though there is no public record of the extension being announced.
“Building electric buses locally is a key part of my government’s vision for a future that is made in WA, complementing our locally built Metronet railcars and historic investment in public transport,” Cook said on Wednesday.
“It won’t just create more than 100 jobs in Perth’s north-eastern suburbs – it will lower our emissions and reduce operating costs across Perth’s public transport network too.
“This milestone is key to my government’s plan to invest in public transport, support local manufacturing, create jobs, and ensure WA’s economy and jobs market is ready for the future.”
Volgren’s manufacturing facility in Malaga, a suburb of Perth, currently supports more than 100 local jobs including 15 apprentices, and is now exclusively producing electric buses for public transport across the state.
Each electric bus produced at the Volgren facility has the capability to travel up to 300 kilometres on a single charge and saves around 40 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
The shift to fully electric bus manufacturing was backed by a $250 million program jointly funded by the state and federal governments to deliver an initial 130 electric buses and the necessary infrastructure and bus depot upgrades to support the new buses.
So far, 18 electric buses have already been built Volgren’s Malaga facility and are now servicing Perth CAT routes, while 18 EV chargers have been installed at the Elizabeth Quay Bus Station. Electric charging infrastructure at the Malaga bus depot is also soon to be completed, with the first electric bus to operate from the facility in the middle of the year.
Plans are also underway for EV charging infrastructure upgrades at the Karrinyup and Claisebrook bus depots, while work has started on the new Bayswater EV depot.
The state government has also promised to allocate an additional $61.9 million in the upcoming state budget to shift manufacturing to fully electric.
“Today marks a tremendous step towards a greener, cleaner bus network, and the delivery of a key election commitment by our government,” said Rita Saffioti, state minister for transport.
“From today – every bus that leaves our Malaga bus manufacturing facility will be electric, with every electric bus saving about 40 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.
“In the space of a few years, we have seen the successful trial of four electric buses on the Joondalup CAT network, a $250 million investment to start manufacturing electric buses and today, the full transition to locally made electric buses.
“These new electric buses will be manufactured and built locally in Western Australia, supporting long-term local jobs and the delivery of our Made in WA plan.”
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.