Australia’s Zero Emission Electric Buses Get Siemens’ Charging Infrastructure

One of Australia’s leading bus manufacturers, Custom Denning, has selected Siemens’ electric bus charging stations and digital depot management solution for its fleet of fully Australian designed and built Element electric buses. The charging stations will support the bus manufacturer’s prototype electric buses and be available for future eBus orders of its customers.

According to the Australian Government Climate Change Authority, Australia’s transport emissions have been rising every year since 1990 (except for 2020 due to COVID-19). With 21 percent, trucks and buses represent the second largest part of these emissions. State governments across Australia are encouraging the uptake of low emission transport. New South Wales, for example, aims to convert all 8,300 buses across the state to zero emission by 2030.

With its comprehensive and scalable charging infrastructure portfolio for eBuses, Siemens supports customers worldwide to switch to zero-emission transport and flexibly expand their electric fleets. By providing its Sicharge UC systems to one of Australia’s leading bus manufacturers, Siemens is helping to promote the country’s plans for zero-emission vehicles.

The Sicharge UC eBus charging infrastructure from Siemens will be part of Custom Denning’s zero emission electric bus trials. For this purpose, the Australian bus manufacturer has manufactured four prototypes of their new electric bus named Element. Each trial bus will be delivered to a bus operator paired with a Sicharge UC100 capable of delivering up to 125 kW, along with a Siemens digital depot management solution. In addition, Custom Denning has purchased a stock of Sicharge UC100 charging units for future bus sales.

The Sicharge UC system serves the entire power range from 50 to 600 kW and can operate at up to 1,000 volts. This gives bus operators optimal flexibility when planning electric bus depots by providing highly efficient infrastructure designed for the rapid advances in battery technology. Additionally, it enables bus operators to cost-effectively expand their charging infrastructure with up to five dispensers plus a pantograph per charging center.

Technology can change quickly, particularly around charging infrastructure. Which is why working with a company like Siemens that keeps ahead of the curve makes sense for local manufacturers, opines Custom Denning. The company needed a solution that would make the transition to electric buses as seamless as possible for bus operators, and Siemens was a natural fit.

The reporting and monitoring function of the digital depot management solution from Siemens will enable bus operators to centrally monitor all charging infrastructure and easily report on key metrics, including OPEX savings. Smart management functionality can also enable scheduled charging to take advantage of lower overnight rates while ensuring that individual buses have reached the desired state of charge by the time they are needed for the next day’s operations.

The Element electric buses are built at Custom Denning’s St. Mary’s factory in Western Sydney. Once fully operational, the site will be capable of producing 550 eBuses annually, with the intention of selling them locally and globally.