94 new Battery Electric Buses

[Barry Drive]

Chris Steel has announced 94 further electric buses.

4 will be Custom Denning Elements - for Belconnen Depot in late 2023.

The other 90 will be Yutongs for Tuggeranong or Woden Depots for delivery by 2026.

Although Woden Depot is intended to be ready by late 2024, the delivery date will depend on when the electric infrastructure upgrade is finalised.

https://the-riotact.com/government-seals-deal-for-90-new-electric-buses-for-canberra/666581

[Barry Drive]

The other 90 will be Yutongs for Tuggeranong or Woden Depots for delivery by 2026.

Although Woden Depot is intended to be ready by late 2024, the delivery date will depend on when the electric infrastructure upgrade is finalised.

The contract with VDI (Yutong) has been published. There is very little useful information - specifications and delivery schedule have been deemed "Confidential".

What is known is that the total contract price is $83.448m for 90 buses - not including charging equipment.

Without further information, have to assume that delivery is planned for mid/late 2024 to 2027.

[triumph]

If the contract has been entered into, it is hard to conceive of any actual commercial confidence in withholding a delivery schedule or the contract (as opposed to manufacturer's) specifications. There may be a case for withholding some manufacturer specification details revealed only in confidence in the tender.
Looks like the Government wants to keep delivery schedule secret so the citizens have no grounds to criticise over 'late' deliveries. A reprehensible politically driven decision to over-rule transparency?

[Barry Drive]

I'm not totally disagreeing, however:

Looks like the Government wants to keep delivery schedule secret so the citizens have no grounds to criticise over 'late' deliveries. A reprehensible politically driven decision to over-rule transparency?

there is nothing to suggest that it was "the Government" who wanted to keep the delivery schedule confidential. The contract further states that the Government Procurement Act permits information to be deemed to be confidential where "(it) has a commercial value that would be, or could reasonably be expected to be, destroyed or diminished if the information were disclosed."

There are no grounds for information to be withheld for political reasons as suggested above.

In any case, while useful, the delivery schedules are almost never adhered to.

[triumph]

...
In any case, while useful, the delivery schedules are almost never adhered to.

Thus you have answered the probable reason for secrecy of the 'delivery schedule', but hardly justified under transparency.

[Barry Drive]

90 will be Yutongs for Tuggeranong or Woden Depots for delivery by 2026.

Although Woden Depot is intended to be ready by late 2024, the delivery date will depend on when the electric infrastructure upgrade is finalised.

I found some additional information from the Hansard of ACT Question Times

The electrical upgrade at Tuggeranong Depot is expected "mid 2024" and will install 25 additional chargers - which will service up to 50 buses.

The eventual electric bus allocation will be 4 at Belconnen, 62 at Tuggeranong and 40 at Woden.

A separate question revealed that Woden is expected to have 80 buses when it opens (although it has capacity for around 100). Whether they intend Woden to have 40 electric & 40 diesel at opening is not known.

So all this tells us for certain is that Yutong deliveries can be expected from mid 2024 and that each depot may be transferring 40 buses to Woden Depot when it opens.

[triumph]

Note the linked item only quotes weekday utilisation. Does this confirm there is little or no use at weekends? This seems quite contrary to the much promoted emission reductions, in respect of which the electric buses should be used intensively.

2 and 6 charging units for 4 and 12 buses? What is a 'charging unit'? Is it a dual outlet device capable of charging 2 buses simultaneously? Otherwise, to charge consecutively suggests some restraint on availability for service and thus emissions reduction benefit.

[Barry Drive]

What is a 'charging unit'? Is it a dual outlet device capable of charging 2 buses simultaneously?

Yes. Tuggeranong Depot uses six "ABB Terra 184 CC" chargers. Each unit can supply 90 kW DC to two buses simultaneously.

It is not yet known what will be installed at Belconnen Depot, but I'd expect they'd use the same charging equipment.

[L94UBbusfan]

The electrical upgrade at Tuggeranong Depot is expected "mid 2024" and will install 25 additional chargers - which will service up to 50 buses.

It's now June 2024, 5 Yutongs (812-816) out of the 90 bus order have now been delivered, but only 1 (813) is in service (as of June 2024). This seems to be implying the additional chargers with the electrical upgrade at Tuggeranong depot hasn't gone ahead yet. It is pretty much mid 2024, do we have anymore information about when this upgrade with more chargers will go ahead?

[Barry Drive]

Well no, that doesn't imply such a thing.

I might have to re-check Hansard (or else someone in the Assembly may need to ask the minister) - the "electrical upgrade" currently in progress involves a high voltage cable connection from Athllon Dr substation to the Tuggeranong Depot. My understanding is that this has not yet been completed.

Once that cable is ready, the next stage involves upgrading the grid at Tuggeranong Depot and then installing new chargers. Despite what has been said previously in the Assembly, there has been no tender issued to date for this next step.

The ACT Budget will be delivered later this month. We may get some more details and timelines from this - or from the subsequent "estimates" process.

In the interim, they may start juggling buses onto the chargers, even though it's not ideal.

[Sylvan Loves Buses]

progress involves a high voltage cable connection from Athllon Dr substation to the Tuggeranong Depo

Is that what all that crap up and down the cycleway is about?

[L94UBbusfan]

In the interim, they may start juggling buses onto the chargers, even though it's not ideal.

I wonder just how many buses they can juggle on the current chargers considering the new Yutongs seem to be arriving at a steady rate? Or will they just keep them out of service until there is sufficient charging?

[Barry Drive]

The information I referred to above was actually from a question on notice which was answered by Chris Steel in July 2023.

Current plans are to stage the necessary works to install 25 chargers initially and 100 chargers eventually at the Tuggeranong Depot to coincide with the completion of the recently announced feeder augmentation works being undertaken by Evo Energy. Transport Canberra is aiming to have 25 chargers installed by mid-2024 and the installation of a total of 100 chargers undertaken as the diesel bus fleet at the Tuggeranong depot is replaced. 

The information about a tender needing to be issued for the installation of additional chargers at Tuggeranong may have come from a PTCBR public meeting, because there is no mention of it on Hansard.

ACT Budget is this week - it might provide some detail as to when this work will be undertaken.

But maybe the plan has been adjusted to wait until Woden Depot is operational before major works commence at Tuggeranong. It would certainly be easier to rip up parts of the depot when there are fewer buses in the way. In the interim, perhaps they can install a few temporary chargers - like they did with the previous trial buses.