Bus Show

It had been four long years since the last major bus and coach expo was held in Australia, thanks to the scourge of the Pandemic.

When they threw open the doors of the main exhibition building and the Dome at the Sydney Showgrounds, everyone probably realised that there would be some emphasis on electric buses but no one could have guessed just how extensive and widespread the embrace of zero emission buses would be. We take a look at the Australasian Bus and Coach Expo and came away impressed.

Everywhere you looked at the 2022 Australasian Bus and Coach Expo there was a strong zero emission theme underlining the global trend that was also so apparent earlier in September at the massive IAA Transportation Expo in Hannover. While Sydney could never be compared with the size of the Hannover Expo, the sentiments were the same.

From the time you walked in the door and saw the large Volvo stand with a battery electric bus dominating the stand and not an internal combustion engine bus to be seen. It wasn’t so much different at most of the manufacturer’s stands.

At Scania, not surprisingly, they had a bit of a bet each way, informed by the reality that since most agree internal combustion will be around for some years to come, then we better make those fuel burning engines as clean and environmentally friendly as possible.

The other Swede brought new products and technology to the Bus Expo, and in fairness the headline act was in fact a Scania Battery Electric bus chassis, sitting alongside two internal combustion engine machines, with a New Bus Generation K 320 C coach and K 320 C route bus.

One solution that Scania also showed on its stand was a clean biodiesel compatible 550kVa generator, capable of becoming a relatively clean way of remotely charging electric buses where there may not be electric infrastructure to charge them. Sure its not zero emission, but it is as Scania says a way to the future by ensuring ways of emphasising its wide array of low emission applications. When hooked up with a Scania E-Machine, the biodiesel compatible genset provides the motive power for the company’s trucks, buses and marine or industrial EV applications.

“We’re bringing to life the Scania mantra of the past five years of ‘driving the shift to a sustainable transport system’ with some real-world, ready-to-work technologies that bus operators across Australia can inspect and consider as part of their pathway towards a low or zero tailpipe emissions future,” said Julian Gurney, the director of Sales for Scania Buses and Power Solutions.

“Of course, we’re very proud of the New Bus Generation powertrain and chassis we introduced to the Australian market back in February, and this is the first industry-wide reveal of this new generation technology, but we’re not resting on any dieselpowered laurels.

“The Scania BEV chassis is one of the ten that have arrived in Australia so far and are in the process of being bodied up for route bus duties. The chassis on display is one that will be put into service in Adelaide by the Department of Infrastructure and Transport.

“We understand there’s a strong desire to switch to a zero tailpipe or zero emissions bus era, but the reality is this will take time, across all levels of planning and implementation. That’s why we have a series of alternative and renewable fuel solutions ready for the Australian market today,” Julian said.

“For a significant reduction in tailpipe emissions, biodiesel is an obvious and real-world ready choice. Our electric-hybrid solution also makes sense because there is little or no additional infrastructure required for real-world running.

“Our BEV bus chassis in isolation can show what a zero emissions future will look like today, but this technology needs to exist as part of an eco-system, one that must be devised, implemented and funded by governments, energy suppliers, public transport bodies, and private bus operators, in order to gain the benefit from running on wholly green energy. We have a range of solutions available; let us know what you want,” Julian says.

The Scania 550 kVa biodiesel-compatible generator can be installed at depots to act as standby power for recharging

BEVs if the grid can’t supply. Scania is an experienced and trusted global genset supplier.

Also at the Expo, Scania honoured the Dyson Group, as the bus operator celebrates its Platinum anniversary. Dysons began with four buses in 1952, and 70 years on employs around 1200 staff and runs 650 buses, many of which are Scanias.

“We thought the Expo was a perfect time to highlight the longevity of the Dyson Group and thank them for their loyalty to Scania over many years,” said Scania Bus and Coach’s national sales and contracts manager for Vic, Tas, SA and WA, Jamie Atkinson.

“Just as we work to make our people and our customers feel an integral part of the Scania family, Dyson Group has operated as a true family business for 70 years, led by several generations of descendants of the founder, Laurie Dyson. The success of this strategy is clear to see,” Jamie said.

As the industry transitions to be more environmentally aware, Dyson Group has ordered a significant number of electric- hybrid, bio-diesel compatible Euro 6 bus chassis from Scania which will be delivered over the next 12-18 months.

“We congratulate Dyson Group on this milestone anniversary and look forward to continuing the relationship with the next generation of leaders,” he said.

Over the aisle at the rival Volvo Bus’ stand, the other Swede showcased its BZL Electric chassis with a body built by NSW North Coast based body builder, Express.

It’s a new direction for Volvo Bus Australia, and general manager Mitchell Peden was excited about it.

“The Volvo BZL Electric, is our first fully electric chassis in Australia, but it’s the first time we’ve displayed the body design with Express,” said Peden.

“This chassis allowed us particularly highlight the New South Wales regional build capabilities of our models to demonstrate how we can build in NSW, for the NSW rural and regional market.”

Volvo also showcased its latest safety and quality assurance advances as well as some significant dialogue around environmental care and sustainability, focussing around the BZL chassis.

“Here in Sydney and NSW, the state government has flagged it’ll only be procuring electric vehicles ongoing in the city environment, and while Volvo has a strong history with diesel buses, this Sydney show is about our latest technology and long-term vision for the future,” Peden said.

“We’re keen to show our ability to build with a NSW-based partner to bring to market a product tailored for the NSW regional area,” Peden said.

“Being an innovation leader, we want to take part in these conversations going forward and we welcome everyone to see our vision for the future at the Expo,” He added.

Nearby at the BCI stand the electric theme was continued, but it wasn’t easy for the WA based company to mount its exhibit.

Just to deliver its three electric models to the Sydney stand the BCI team had to endure an amazing experience.

To prove the BCI buses, a few weeks ahead of the Sydney show, BCI CEO Desmond Armstrong decided to have the buses shipped to Melbourne rather than to Sydney.

“We decided to stage a test with a local charging station in Melbourne and once we proved that the buses could take charge, our entire sales team travelled down to Melbourne and we drove the buses up to Sydney,” said Armstrong.

Bustech made a splash on its stand attracting the potential next Premier of NSW, Chris Minns to the stand, with the Labor leader making a commitment to back local manufacturing in NSW for future major transport contracts.

With a string of transport procurement disasters on its hand the current NSW administration’s policy to purchase buses, trains and ferries from overseas has given it plenty of headaches.

Minns said if his party is elected in March then they want to design engineer and manufacture transport infrastructure, including electric buses in NSW.

Bustech with its own electric chassis and with body building expertise here in Australia as proven at its Queensland and South Australian factories, said it stands willing and able to start a facility in NSW, to meet the big demand the state faces in meeting the goal of replacing the 8000 strong fleet, with zero emission buses in a relatively short time frame.

Bustech COO and general manager of Queensland operations , Martin Hall said that while the company can produce about 200 buses a year with its current setup, he believes the capacity is endless, with the possibility of double shifts and expanded production facilities, so long as the company can attract enough skilled workers, which is an even bigger challenge.

Martin Hall boasts of Bustech’s revitalised and advanced engineering team including talent recruited from various advanced engineering areas including from Supercar racing teams.

On the stand Bustech showed the fruits of that engineering team displaying its ZDI-450 , which it described as its next generation in connected zero emission transit.

The electric ZDI-450 on show has a 452 kWh battery capacity, which Bustech claims to be the most powerful of its kind in the Australian market featuring a rapid charge time of just two hours, with a capacity for 45 seated and 21 standing passengers.

Bustech has constructed the ZD-I chassis from marine-grade stainless steel and say it has tested for more than 300 million km, which seems quite a lot, and must have taken a long time to log up, however ten of the new electric buses are currently under order with the first having already been delivered to Clarks Logan Bus Service.

“Public transport is one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gas emissions. If we want to protect the environment, we need to move on this now,” said Martin Hall.

German maker MAN along with its distributor Penske revealed its all-new Lion Chassis E LF, a fully electric low-floor chassis, at the show.

The MAN Lion City E recently won

International Bus of the Year 2023 and according to Penske the Lion Chassis E LF complements MAN’s existing offering with one of the most technologically-advanced diesel buses on the Australian market.

“We were thrilled to unveil MAN’s all-new electric chassis to the Australian market for the first time,” said Crinel Geaboc, head of MAN bus and coach, at Penske Australia.

“Both Penske Australia and MAN Truck & Bus have firm strategies to be recognised as industry leaders in the electric space.

“With a history of strong bus and coach offerings with our innovative Euro 6 engines, the new Lion Chassis E LF rounds out our portfolio to include zero emission solutions for our customers.

“We know the industry has deadlines over the coming years to convert their fleets to electric technology, and with the Lion Chassis E LF, we’re in a position to make their transition straightforward.

In addition to the Lion Chassis E LF, MAN’s stand at the show included the low entry RC2 chassis powered by its 330 hp D15 engine and equipped with a Custom

Denning body, along with the intercity/ coach RR8 chassis powered by the first MAN 360 hp D15 engine in Australia and fitted with an Irizar i6 coach body.

While MAN had a strong showing at the Expo, Mercedes Benz lacked a good deal of innovation showing a diesel coach, underlining some of the frustrations the German maker has been having with the Citaro electric bus it wants to bring here. With production delays at its South American manufacturing facility along with continuing delays on a rational decision about bus widths moving to 2.55 metres, instead of the Euro restrictive 2.5 metres we endure here. I am sure we will hear more of this.

Despite appearing to be out of love with its commercial vehicle subsidiary Hino, Toyota had one of its hydrogen fuel cell buses on the Hino stand, showing the technology it used at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.

Toyota said it was working to grow awareness of the many applications for fuel cell technology with the H2 City Gold bus developed in partnership with Portuguese bus manufacturer CaetanoBus and using the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell system generating electricity to power the electric motors with the bus emitting only water from the exhaust.

Matt Macleod, Toyota Australia’s manager of energy solutions, said Toyota imported the bus to showcase its technology and says it is currently exploring trial opportunities with commercial bus operators.

“Toyota is committed to exploring all opportunities for hydrogen fuel cell applications in Australia and we already have several Mirai FCEV sedans leased by leading organisations,” said Macleod.

“Heavy transport and buses are another commercial space where we believe hydrogen fuel cells can play a big role, so by importing this bus that is already in use in Europe, we are demonstrating that as infrastructure develops, there is a readymade solution for more sustainable public transport,” he said.

Toyota says the 10.74m, 34-seat low-floor city bus uses five 7.5kg hydrogen tanks to supply the 60kW fuel cell stack. When the hydrogen is combined with oxygen from the atmosphere in the fuel cell, a chemical reaction generates electricity to drive a 180kW/2500Nm permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor.

Refuelling the bus to its full 37.5kg hydrogen capacity takes between 10 and 15 minutes at 350 bar pressure, giving the bus a range of approximately 450km. Federal and state governments around the country have committed millions of dollars in funding to help develop hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in Australia.

Toyota says it also has its own hydrogen production, storage and refuelling facility capable of accommodating both passenger cars and commercial vehicles at the Toyota Hydrogen Centre at Altona in Melbourne’s west.

Toyota/Hino wasn’t the only bus maker showing hydrogen power at the Sydney Show with BLK showing its first HDrive fuel cell bus.

“This is our greatest achievement so far, HDrive is about to launch as its own brand and here at the Expo we’re launching the HDrive range of vehicles,” said BLK Auto’s Jason Pecotic.

The 7.5-metre hydrogen fuel cell electric CitiBus was front and centre on the BLK Auto stand, which is proof of the brand’s environmental direction, according to Pecotic.

“We were lucky to sell two hydrogen fuel cell trucks, one for PepsiCo and the second for waste management company, JJ Richards.

“Moving forward, HDrive will become its own entity for hydrogen vehicles only, such as this bus.”

Pecotic said HDrive represents the wider brand of Wisdom Motor that operates out of China. Wisdom Motor was created in 2019 when Su Liqian entered into a partnership with Hong Kong operator Templewater. This resulted in the HDrive trucks and buses that BLK Auto are beginning to unveil and deliver.

“The HDrive bus we have here comes courtesy of Su’s experience in the Chinese market, as well as his experience with

Bonluck buses and BCI,” Pecotic said.

“We’re also showing a HDrive vehicle from Hong Kong that we thought looked like a van, so we had it wrapped to look like a prison transport vehicle for some variation,” Pecotic added.

Pecotic says the HDrive vehicles would also be ideal as an on demand bus for operators around Australia. With the new age bus shown to many at the Expo, Pecotic says the vehicle has received a huge amount of interest as trials are about to commence with potential customers in New South Wales and beyond.

“Certain transport bodies have come to us and expressed their interest in buying the HDrive bus from us and lease it to operators, with the bus able to go from a 12-seater through to a 24-seater.

Alongside the HDrive models, BLK Auto showed its President 2 double decker along with its battery electric City Star bus.

BLK Auto said it is emphasising its focus on local content to provide high quality products to the Australian market underlining the fact that it is continuing to produce a chassis for its partnership with Volgren.

Yutong had a packed stand with lots of new models including its latest D7 minibus along with its latest new electric bus which it launched.

“We’re excited to be showing off our new D7 minibus,” said Yutong general manager Lou Riccardi.

But the main focus at the Expo for Yutong and its Australian distributor, Vehicle Dealers International (VDI), was its new electric bus aimed at school and mining operations. Riccardi said Yutong wanted to prove to the industry that it is progressing with zero-emission vehicles and is a market leader with its electric innovation.

“We wanted to showcase the advantages that Yutong has in the electric space and to show what we’ve done in terms of vehicle design and in the electric market globally,” said Riccardi.

All in all the Show was a massive display of confidence and a huge bounce back from the past two years of pandemic issues and difficulties, and shows that we have a vibrant bus industry that is well equipped to tackle the challenges of a zero emission future.