Volvo Buses presents 18-metre BZL Electric Articulated for Australian market, bodied by Volgren

Volvo Buses has unveiled what it claims as being Australia’s first electric articulated bus, introducing an 18-metre version of its BZL Electric platform developed for the local market.

Volvo Buses has presented the Volvo BZL Electric Articulated in Australia, expanding its battery-electric city bus portfolio in the country with an 18-metre vehicle designed for high-capacity urban transport.

The 18-metre bus is built on Volvo’s low-floor fully electric articulated chassis BZL, launched in 2021, and features a body manufactured by Volgren, Australia’s largest bus body builder, which operates production facilities in Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland. Volvo Buses announced the launch in a press release.

Volvo BZL Electric articulated bus for the Australian market

The Volvo BZL Electric Articulated offers seating for 57 passengers and is equipped with Volvo’s EPT802 electric driveline featuring two 200 kW motors. Energy is supplied by twelve lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery packs with a total installed capacity of 497 kWh. The vehicle is compatible with CCS2 charging.

In brief

• What has Volvo Buses unveiled? Australia’s first electric articulated bus, the 18-metre Volvo BZL Electric Articulated.
• Who built the body? The bus is bodied locally by Volgren, Australia’s largest bus body manufacturer.
• What are the main technical specifications? It features two 200 kW electric motors, twelve LFP battery packs with 497 kWh installed capacity, 57 seats and CCS2 charging.
• How many Volvo BZL Electric buses are operating in Australia? According to Volvo Buses, more than 140 Volvo BZL Electric buses are currently in operation across the country.

The articulated model builds on the Volvo BZL Electric rigid bus platform, which entered service in Australia in 2022 when the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia (PTA) became the country’s first operator to deploy Volvo electric buses fitted with Volgren Optimum bodies. According to Volvo Buses, more than 140 Volvo BZL Electric buses are now operating across Australia.

Volvo and PTA continue long-standing partnership

According to Volvo Buses, the new articulated model has been developed specifically for the Australian market and for the operational requirements of the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia. The company states that the partnership between Volvo Buses and the PTA spans more than ten years, during which over 1,400 Volvo buses have been delivered.

Mark Fryer, Director, Product & Industry at Volvo Buses Asia Pacific, said: “This is a genuine ‘Australia first’, and the Volvo BZL Electric Articulated has been built right here in Perth. It was developed with the Australian market in mind, and specifically to meet the needs of the PTA, an operator we have partnered with for more than a decade. Bringing a brand-new electric platform to market, locally bodied and tailored to the needs of the Perth transit network, is something we are incredibly proud of.”