Public transport-loving public servants in Canberra will soon be able to catch a ride on fully electric battery-powered buses after the ACT government revealed it has ordered 90 Chinese-made Yutong ‘E12’ vehicles as part of its non-fossil fuel fleet replacement.
The double-digit order for the E12s comes as part of the territory’s Zero-Emission Transition Plan for Transport Canberra, which aims to have combustible fuel buses off the road and fully replaced by 2040.
“These new buses will deliver the biggest change in technology for Canberra’s bus fleet in decades,” said ACT minister for transport and city services Chris Steel.
“The ACT is a leader in zero emissions transport with the largest fleet of electric buses delivered per capita in our nation. This will transition more than 20% of our bus fleet to zero-emission technology, with the rest of the fleet transitioning by 2040 or earlier.”
But to speed up the transition, the ACT needs to buy what’s readily available – rather than Australian-made – to avoid waiting in line behind much bigger states now seeking to lure bus and heavy vehicle assembly factories to their jurisdictions to both supply their fleets and create jobs.
Transport Canberra says it expects to receive the first of the 94 electric buses in late 2023, and that they will be progressively delivered through to 2026.
Local manufacturers are definitely being given a look-in, with Steel saying Transport Canberra negotiating with Custom Denning to procure four ‘Element’ battery electric buses including charging infrastructure.
Volvo Bus Australia is also gearing up to sell its locally-made Volvo BZL Electric bus more widely, with order books filling quickly as fleet operators dump combustible fuel models as fast as they can.
Electric buses, like any buses, are not cheap to buy new, but they are a lot cheaper to run and maintain.
That’s because electric motors have a far simpler design — and moving parts — than internal combustion engines and accordingly don’t guzzle fuel. This said, bus depots need to be substantially modified to recharge e-buses because they can draw a lot more current directly from the grid.
The 90 Yutong E12s coming to Canberra are being sourced through a deal with Vehicle Dealers International (VDI), which has the Australian distributorship for the massive Chinese bus maker.
Yutong claims to have about 35% of the massive Chinese bus market and 15% of the global market, with the Henan Province-based group capable of producing 70,000 vehicle units a year, with 150,000 e-buses already produced.
With exports a key market for the firm, attention to cybersecurity assurance is clearly a priority with Yutong putting its credentials into the public domain after obtaining French compliance accreditation under UN Regulation No.155, which deals with cyber compliance.
“International Recognition! Yutong is First in the Chinese Commercial Vehicle Industry to Obtain Certification on UN R155 Cybersecurity Management System Compliance,” Yutong said in a recent official statement.
“The certificate awarded by UTAC, France, indicates that Yutong Bus has possessed the industry-leading capability of vehicle cyber-security management, and its sound CSMS is consistent with international mandatory regulations, ensuring its vehicles are able to effectively detect and control cyber security risks throughout their life cycle.”
The firm is comprehensive in its attention to addressing cyber issues.
“Consistent in improving vehicle cyber security, Yutong Bus has established an all-round vehicle cyber security protection system covering vehicle end, control centre and cloud platform for better quality system and CSMS,” Yutong said.
“Through the technologies of on-board bus system detection, host detection, alarm record etc. and the input situational models, the security and business situations of the vehicle end and cloud platform are predicted to arm products with cyber-security threat resistance, and bring to customers an all-round cyber-security that is more reliable and worry-free, as part of more secure mobility solutions,” Yutong continued.
“Obtaining the first certification under UN R155 in China’s commercial vehicle industry is a testimony that Yutong Bus has successfully established a CSMS with international credibility, and with the security bottom line in mind, it will apply for vehicle type approval subsequently and pursue the sustainable development of IoV technologies.”
IoV? That’s the Internet of Vehicles, coming to the national capital soon.
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