NZ Bus to begin transition to electric vehicles

New Zealand’s largest urban bus service operator NZ Bus has revealed plans to begin transitioning its fleet to electric vehicles.

NZ Bus and parent company Infratel have signed a US$30 million (AU$38.4 million) deal with electric powertrain technology developer Wrightspeed for the project.

Under the deal NZ Bus will use Wrightspeed’s technology to repower its trolley buses so they can be used anywhere in New Zealand.

Once this is complete, the company will look into transitioning other vehicle types in its fleet to electric power.

New Zealand Transport Minister Simon Bridges hailed the development as a strong step forward for the public transport sector.

“Electric vehicles are the future for New Zealand and not only in our light vehicle fleet. They will also have to play an important role in our heavy vehicle and public transport fleets. It’s great that major players like Infratel and NZ Bus are working with international partners and getting ahead of the curve,” he said.

“As we transition to a lower carbon economy, we need to broaden our renewable energy use beyond electricity and increase its use in the transport and industrial heat sectors. It’s great that Kiwi companies are increasingly seeing the value in this and are getting on board with going electric.”

The first electric-powered NZ Bus is expected to be operational by the fourth quarter.

Image courtesy of Miguel Efondo under CC