The first fleet of electric vehicle (EV) buses has begun service in the suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, operating from the state’s largest charging hub.
In a statement released by the Western Australia government, 11 EV buses are now ready to operate out of Transperth’s Malaga depot, and around 90 EV buses are expected to be operating from the facility by the first half of 2026.
The Malaga depot, located in north Perth, is undergoing an AU$12 million (£7.82 million) upgrade. When completed, it will become Western Australia’s largest EV bus charging facility, capable of supporting 110 EV buses.
The upgrades include installing solar PV systems and battery energy storage systems (BESS) to power the facility and delivering new EV charging infrastructure.
EV charging infrastructure and future expansion
At the time of reporting, 16 EV chargers have been installed at the depot. As more EV buses begin operating from the facility, the remainder will be installed and commissioned by the end of the year.
The state government confirmed that the rollout of EV buses will ramp up in the coming years, with upgrades either planned or underway at the Karrinyup and Claisebrook bus depots and a new EV bus depot being delivered at Bayswater.
The first EV buses are expected to operate out of the Karrinyup depot by early next year.
“This is a really exciting moment for public transport in Western Australia, with electric buses rolling out into our broader suburban areas for the first time,” said Western Australia’s Transport Minister, Rita Saffioti.
“We’ve now delivered on our election commitment to stop the production of diesel buses, and that means the community will start to see more and more electric buses operating on the network.
“Not only are electric buses cleaner and better for the environment, they’re also cheaper to operate in the long term, which means better value for money for WA taxpayers.”
Each electric bus can travel up to 300km on a single charge. The expansion of EV buses operating in Perth’s suburbs follows an initial rollout of 18 electric buses on the CBD CAT bus routes.
Each EV bus can travel up to 300km on a single charge. The expansion of EV buses operating in Perth’s suburbs follows an initial rollout of 18 EV buses on the CBD CAT bus routes.
Australia’s growing EV charging network
Interest in EVs in Australia has been ramping up in recent months, and the expansion of EV charging infrastructure is playing a major role in mitigating range anxiety. For instance, it was reported yesterday that the Royal Automobile Association (RAA) had completed South Australia’s first border-to-border EV charging network.
Known as RAA Charge, the network comprises over 550 charging plugs across 144 sites, making it one of the largest EV charging networks in Australia.
To the east of South Australia, the New South Wales government has been stimulating the development of its own EV charging infrastructure via an investment of AU$16.1 million to install 246 fast and ultra-fast EV chargers.
Five grant recipients – BP, EnergyAustralia, Plus ES, Tesla and NRMA – will install EV chargers in 38 suburbs.
Earlier in the year, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) allocated AU$2.4 million to promote on-street EV charging and published a national roadmap to support the uptake of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.
The funding went to the EV charging company EVX Australia (EVX), which delivers 250 public kerbside EV chargers across Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia.
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