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

  • High level support for US DOT decision on vehicle to vehicle technology
    February 4, 2014
    The US Department of Transportation's (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is to begin taking steps to enable vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology for light vehicles. This technology would improve safety by allowing vehicles to communicate with each other and ultimately avoid many crashes altogether by exchanging basic safety data, such as speed and position, ten times per second. DOT research indicates that safety applications using V2V technology can address a large
  • Transit must be accessible to all, says SkedGo
    April 24, 2020
    When it comes to accessibility we need to embrace a more open and collaborative approach to ensure MaaS realises its true potential, says SkedGo’s Sandra Witzel – after all, a billion people on the planet have a disability
  • UK government reveals £400m EV charging network boost
    September 13, 2018
    The UK government is providing £400m to create an electric vehicle (EV) charging point infrastructure, in partnership with the automotive industry. UK prime minister Theresa May says the government will ensure charge points can be easily accessed and available at motorway service stations and other petrol stations. There will also be £1.5bn for the development of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVS). Speaking at the country’s first Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Summit in Birmingham, May unveiled an ‘am
  • Safer Roads with Ettifos' V2X-AIR
    August 20, 2024
    Ettifos, a V2X solutions provider, will showcase V2X-AIR, their high-performance On-Board Unit (OBU), and powerful Roadside Unit (RSU), developed for global connected intelligent transport systems.