Bus fleet goes electric with $125 million State investment
The Government is charging ahead with expanding Western Australia's electric bus fleet, with the 2023-24 State Budget to confirm a $125 million allocation to the program from the State.
Combined with a $125 million commitment from the Albanese Labor Government, the $250 million program will deliver 130 new locally-built electric buses and charging infrastructure at key depots.
The 2023-24 State Budget will allocate an initial $22 million next financial year - funded through the Perth Parking Levy - to purchase and build 18 new electric buses and install electric charging infrastructure within Elizabeth Quay Bus Station.
The funding will expand upon the existing electric bus trial on the Joondalup CAT route, which has seen four battery-electric vehicles supplied through the Public Transport Authority's existing bus supply agreement with Volvo to operate within the northern suburbs.
The electric quartet is estimated to have carried more than 250,000 passengers in the first 12 months and covered more than 140,000km, saving approximately 230 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in the process.
As part of the trial, the Joondalup bus depot received a high-voltage EV charging system which allows electric buses to be recharged overnight through a combination of the existing grid network and a 100kW solar array connected to a large on-site battery storage system.
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