ABC #395

NEWS
with electric and hydrogen vehicles
that were more than simply “price
competitive”.
“We’ve worked very hard to create
rates that work out cheaper than
the diesel alternative. Only by doing
that can we enable projects like this
to go ahead,” Roxburgh explained.
“What this deal with Go
Bus and JW Group shows is
that transitioning to ‘ZEBs’
(zero-emission buses) is now
entirely doable. You no longer need
to wait to make the transition.”
NEW ZEALAND E-BUS
DEAL PUTS ‘LEASING’
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
AUSTRALIAN electric bus charging
specialist Electromotiv has secured
its largest e-bus leasing deal to
date, following Kiwi operator Go
Bus signing on for nine Yutong
E12 buses, the companies
announced recently.
The agreement between
zero-emission charging and
refuelling provider Electromotiv
and Go Bus is a multi-million dollar
contract, and includes Yutong
E12s serviced and maintained by
Electromotiv partner, JW Group.
Managing director and
co-founder of Electromotiv Toby
Roxburgh says the three-way
partnership demonstrated that,
as operators look at ways of
transitioning to zero-emission
fleets, leasing was becoming a
convincing commercial option.
“The big advantages of leasing
are that it removes upfront costs,
reduces risk and enables operators
to pick and choose the best
technology,” Roxburgh said.
“Governments and operators
are reviewing their procurement
solutions as they transition to
zero-emission buses, and those
advantages are becoming clear
and compelling.
“Until now, operators have been
struggling to procure high-quality
zero-emission vehicles. In part that’s
because banks have been reluctant
to lend for under seven-year terms.
“One reason we started our
vehicle support division was to
remove this lending barrier,” he
explained.
ENTIRELY DOABLE
Roxburgh says his team
had dedicated significant time
and resources on the economics
of vehicle leasing. The aim has
always been to provide operators
Below:
Managing director
and co-founder of
Electromotiv Toby
Roxburgh.
“New Zealand is
leading the way on
zero-emission buses.”
EXCITING TIMES
Go Bus CEO Calum Haslop says
he was excited to be leading
Auckland’s move into zero-emission
buses.
“Having trialled two full battery
electric buses over a 12-month
period and completed thorough
due diligence on a number
of electric and hydrogen bus
deployments worldwide, we
are now ready to move to a
zero-emission future,” Haslop said.
“We are also rolling out electric
buses in other cities in New Zealand
and continue to work on hydrogen
solutions as a complementary
zero-emission option.”
Roxburgh says New Zealand is
well ahead of many much larger
countries, including Australia, when
it comes to zero-emission buses.
“New Zealand is leading the way
on ZEBs. We’ve been discussing
more New Zealand initiatives and
talking to government and other
providers, and will be announcing
new projects very soon,” he stated.
“The leasing side of our business
is growing quickly. We’ve shown
leasing works overseas and in
Australia, whether you’re looking for
one bus, nine buses or 100 buses.
We provide the same methodology,
partnering experience and delivery
for operators no matter the
company or its requirements.”
AIRPORT LINK
The nine buses for the new Airport
Link will be used to improve
transport connections and reliability
between Manukau, Puhinui and
Auckland Airport, including for
workers accessing its employment
precinct as well as the airport itself.
20
ABC July 2020 busnews.com.au