Transit System has completed works for Australia’s largest electric bus depot

Transit Systems, along with partners Zenobē and TransGrid, have completed construction of Australia’s largest electricified bus depot, that is now fully commissioned and operational. Leichhardt depot boasts a large solar array, base load metering, onsite energy storage system, grid connection and vehicle charging.

In early November the operator’s e-bus fleet has reached 1,500,000 electric kilometres covered.

55 e-buses are currently operational at the Leichhardt depot. A 1.25MW/2.5MWh Tesla battery system has been commissioned to support the bus charging, shift solar power for charging and minimise impacts on the local grid. Commissioning of 388kW rooftop solar array, providing green onsite power generation, is also provided, plus 5 x 120kW DC fast chargers and 31 x AC 80kW Chargers.

Transport for NSW target to reach 8,000 e-buses

Transit Systems COO Greg Balkin said: “Seeing the depot completed is a true milestone for the Australian public transport industry. We have not just set a benchmark, we have generated a blueprint of industry best practice. We’re incredibly proud of the outcomes achieved and how we have integrated the technology into a world class depot, while maintaining regular services”.

He adds: “With regenerative braking, the buses often come back to the depot with a significant amount of charge still available – this is obviously fantastic as it reduces the load on the recharging infrastructure. It also means less downtime for the buses and we can adopt changes within our network planning to maximise route and energy efficiencies,” he said. And concludes: “This is by far Australia’s largest electrified depot and paves the way for Transport for NSW to reach their target and electrify all 8,000 buses across the network, using the latest technology”.