Charge Together Fleets

The use of electric buses in Australia is growing. Transit companies that are not already using electric vehicles should consider planning how to integrate electric vehicles into their fleet. Although it is important to consider the infrastructure of electric buses, including issues such as the best batteries to use, the location of charging stations, integrating electric vehicles into a fleet is more than hardware.

There is a challenge of electric buses having different needs than diesel buses. Perhaps most electric buses need recharging more often than buses that use diesel require refuelling. This makes it more complicated for most companies to transition from diesel vehicles to electric vehicles. However, here are some important factors to consider when thinking about buying electric buses.

Charge times

The operator requires to consider how charge times affect the scheduling of bus routes and planning when introducing electric vehicles in Australia into transit systems. Operators need to try and figure out the range limits of each vehicle and the minimum charging requirements for each route. This dictates the level of energy needed for the amount of spare energy and the level of energy required for a given trip. Charging time for each type of battery should also be considered.

Some drivers may face range anxiety since electric buses need more charging compared to diesel buses need refuelling. Drivers fear that the bus will not have enough power to make it to the end of the route. It is important to schedule buses to alleviate range anxiety and get the most value out of the buses by keeping them on the road incorporating the time of charging at the right junctures into the schedule.

Cost

Charging electric buses Australia comes with a lot of cost considerations for operators. There is a lot of interplay between charging times and costs since the schedules of the bus must consider both the amount of time the buses need to charge and the time of the day they need to be charged.