Busways recently concluded its trial of a Yutong E12 Zero Emissions Bus (ZEB) in Adelaide Outer South and has moved straight onto another ZEB trial with a Volvo BZL in the Penrith region of NSW.

The trial in Adelaide ended on 31 May generating valuable data which will be shared with the South Australian Department for Infrastructure and Transport to inform future planning for the integration of ZEB buses and infrastructure in the region.

Over 3,000 Adelaide south passengers got their first taste of riding an electric bus, enjoying the quieter, smoother and more sustainable ride. With its battery capacity of 295 kWh, the Yutong E12 travelled up to 1400km a week and achieved better energy consumption results than expected.

The Penrith trail kicked off on 3 June, where Busways’ depot team will test the bus performance on different Penrith routes and how its suits the local driving environment and compared to its existing electric buses and diesel fleet.

Chris Wolf, Head of Group Assets & Safety & Regional & Outer Metro Service Delivery said, "We already have a fleet of eighteen electric buses in Sydney and these trials in different regions of different models are an important part of the journey to a zero emissions fleet as electric buses are constantly evolving."

"The Yutong E12 bus in Adelaide covered over 8,000 kilometres on diverse terrain and we saw the bus perform well in Adelaide conditions,” Wolf said. 

“We will be trialling the Volvo BZL in Penrith for over two months and we look forward to reviewing the data as Busways continues to innovate and explore environmentally friendly transport solutions.

Busways remains committed to collaborating with the government to evaluate various options for Australia's electric bus fleet to bring sustainable and innovative transport solutions to commuters.