Skip to main content

All aboard Australia’s newest electric bus

Working in partnership with BusTech, Swinburne University of Technology has helped develop the first electric bus to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia. The first concept demonstrator bus was unveiled at the Maintenance Conference and Bus Expo in Melbourne. According to Pro vice-chancellor, International Research Engagement, Professor Ajay Kapoor, the research and development has involved solving the challenges of integrating electric vehicle technologies using computer-aided engi
July 8, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Working in partnership with BusTech, 5192 Swinburne University of Technology has helped develop the first electric bus to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia.

The first concept demonstrator bus was unveiled at the Maintenance Conference and Bus Expo in Melbourne.

According to Pro vice-chancellor, International Research Engagement, Professor Ajay Kapoor, the research and development has involved solving the challenges of integrating electric vehicle technologies using computer-aided engineering to design and configure sub-systems into the bus platform.

Researchers developed high and low voltage electrical systems for the bus, including the design architecture for electrical circuit motor controls, supervisory control and other control systems to ensure the most efficient operation.”

Professor Kapoor said that a key aspect to achieving product life-cycle cost savings was to come up with a future-proof concept, which will enable upgrades as the technology evolves. On average, the electric bus will be 80 per cent cheaper to maintain than the diesel buses currently being driven in Australia

Professor Kapoor said that Swinburne was well placed to work and conduct research on electric vehicles, bringing together experts from the automotive industry, working alongside academics with expertise in electric vehicle technologies.

“I’d really like to see the Australian government invest in this technology. For the sake of the environment, as well as the future of manufacturing in Australia,” Professor Kapoor said.

The electric bus project is a joint collaboration between BusTech (part of Transit Australia Group), the Australian Government’s Automotive Cooperative Research Centre- AutoCRC and the Malaysian Government.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • TTTech joins SafeTrans transportation safety group
    March 7, 2013
    To strengthen its close cooperation with partners and experts in the transportation field, Austrian network solutions provider TTTech has become a member of the competence group Safety in Transportation Systems (SafeTrans). SafeTrans is a group of industry experts and decision makers from railway, aerospace, space, automotive, off-highway and industrial segments and academia. The goal of the group is to combine know-how regarding research and development in the sector of embedded systems for transportation
  • Managed lane operators: meet the CAV pioneers
    June 26, 2018
    There is some controversy over the testing of connected and autonomous vehicles – but Robert Deans of Transurban North America explains how managed lanes could be vital in the development of CAVs, benefiting everyone. Managed lane operators have the opportunity to establish themselves as leaders in the testing and roll-out of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs), assisting and accelerating the transition of CAVs onto road networks to deliver economic and safety benefits. Managed lane facilities
  • Tampa uses Hyundai vehicles in CV pilot
    June 16, 2020
    Demo of the tech in action on roads is expected in September
  • German consumers concerned about electric car practicalities
    May 5, 2016
    German consumers are concerned about the practicalities of owning an electric car, according to a survey by market research company GfK. For 54 per cent of those interested in buying an electric car, purchase premiums and tax benefits were not a reason to choose one. However, three out of four consumers looking to buy a new car considered the environmental aspects and low noise of an electric vehicle to be important. Lower maintenance costs compared to petrol or diesel vehicles were also key, while 72 per c