More Electric Buses for Victoria, Innovative Charging Solutions

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Last time I wrote about the electric bus transition in Australia, one of CleanTechnica’s readers put this comment under the article — “Very encouraging news. The kind of news I come to CT for.” Well, with that sort of encouragement, I thought it best to do a follow-up. Indeed, the news coming out of the bus sector is far more encouraging than the numbers of new EV sales in the light vehicle market. I’m still awaiting the November stats on this.

Back to the good news about buses. Kinetic is bringing 137 new ZEB’s (Zero Emission Buses) to join the Melbourne (capital of Victoria) metropolitan bus network. This is in line with Victoria’s Zero Emission bus transition plan. Want to know more — the plan is available here. From July 1st 2025, the transition formally commences and all new public transport buses ordered in Victoria will be zero emission. Why? Because ZEBs will make the air cleaner and thus provide health benefits to Victorians. They are less costly to run and maintain. The introduction of ZEBs will bring opportunities for local business. And, most importantly, they give a smoother and quieter ride.

Image courtesy of Department of Transport and Planning Victoria.

One of the CleanTechnica audience for my last article reminded me of my school days, when I caught buses most days of the week, with this nostalgic anecdote:

Commuters will “appreciate how much better electric drive is for stop/start operations. No more revving the guts out to get up to speed followed by squealing brakes to lose all that kinetic energy at the next stop a kilometre down the track. Electric busses will have that advantage plus regenerative braking. No more breathing fumes if next in queue behind the bus but unfortunately no getting close to the back end of a bus to get warm on a cold morning. Electric doesn’t waste energy heating the air.”

I used to pretend I was surfing as the bus moved forward and then abruptly stopped — it was peak hour and I was a schoolboy hanging onto the overhead straps to keep my footing, with my school case secured between my feet to stop is sliding up and down the aisle and into fellow travellers. Yes, I would have appreciated a smoother and quieter ZEB ride.

John Baldwin also wishes that “there were electric buses available years ago when we ran school transport services. Now it would be a no brainer to charge up the bus after the morning run with battery storage all powered by solar PV. Personally, I would opt for battery swap tech so after the morning run swap out the batteries to charge them. Do a charter before the afternoon run and swap the batteries again. And after the afternoon school run swap again.

“So yes, the bus may need 3 sets of batteries but running costs would be very cheap. The size of the swap batteries would have to be worked out according to the longest charter on weekends so perhaps 1 larger set for that usage. Regenerative braking would reduce brake wear. I very much doubt that diesel buses have a future, it is electric from here on in.”

One reader even suggested putting solar panels on bus roofs.

I find it surprising that there doesn’t appear to be a FUD campaign around electric buses? Why are there not protests about the danger to school children who are in sitting on these flammable batteries? You know, parents with placards and so forth. “Electric buses cook children!” I’d appreciate our readers sharing their thoughts on this one.

Let’s get back to Melbourne. Since Kinetic won the Metropolitan Bus Franchise (MBF) contract, it has successfully introduced 37 zero-emission buses and electrified two depots. The goal is to grow the MBF’s electric bus fleet to 174 over the next 4 years.

Kinetic Group CEO Michael Sewards says, “We are proud to continue to shape the future of Melbourne’s bus network in conjunction with the Victorian Government through a shared investment in zero emission infrastructure, assets and capability. This is also an important step towards Kinetics’ goal to operate a fully electric urban fleet by 2035. Excitingly, over the next four years we’ll see electric buses constitute almost one third of the city’s biggest franchise.”

Kinetic will develop and deliver enhanced training for maintenance staff. The manufacturing of new electric buses in Australia is expected to create new jobs, particularly in Victoria.

In other supporting news, Kwetta (formerly known as Red Phase) has found an ingenious way to simplify grid connections for bus charging by replacing five steps with one. The HV switch, transformer, metering, distribution, and conversion units are replaced with the Kwetta prime grid gateway. For the mathematically minded, a Kwetta is a number followed by 30 zeros.

Kwetta’s highly experienced engineers claim that their equipment can “overcome grid limits to unlock up to 10x more power on utility constrained sites,” thus avoiding expensive utility grid upgrades which could cost millions; can be deployed “faster with a streamlined, vertically integrated solution;” can be used as a grid firming support providing additional revenue; and the site can be future proofed with easy upgrading to “more chargers, adding additional Prime Grid Gateways, or solar/battery storage.” The Prime Grid Gateway offers dynamic sequential charging and can be scheduled to charge at off-peak times. Efficient and economic.

Kwetta claims that they can quickly scale a charging hub from 4 to 64 chargers, enabling bus fleet charging for fleets from 8 to 640 vehicles. Heavy trucks and buses would be able to charge at power levels from 400kW to megawatt scale. Kwetta is already installed at over a dozen sites in New Zealand and is expanding across the ditch into Australia. The Kwetta system is relocatable if necessary.

From the LinkedIn profile of Dustin Murdoch: “As a Founder and CEO of Kwetta (Formerly Red Phase), I have a vision of transforming New Zealand’s Electric Vehicle landscape by making it more accessible and affordable for New Zealanders. I believe that we can achieve a greener and cleaner future without sacrificing convenience or quality. That’s why we are invested in developing cutting-edge solutions that leverage the power of electronics to create sustainable and efficient grid-connected systems.

“At Kwetta, we foster a culture of innovation where we challenge the status quo and embrace trial and error. This mindset has enabled us to achieve remarkable results in a short span of time, as we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the energy industry.”

“We take the complexity out of the process,” Murdock says. “We handle the negotiations and technical aspects with the power provider so that bus operators can focus on running their fleets — not worrying about the grid.”

On a slightly humorous note, Queensland has had state elections and a new conservative state government has taken control. Last night on the news, the conservative transport minister and the Brisbane Lord Mayor announced an extension to the all-electric metro bus system that has just been launched. You can read about it here. In the background was a “Metro” charging from the overhead pantograph infrastructure. There was not one mention of the fact that these buses are electric! It certainly is a silent revolution.