Project Description

Services:


Client:

Department of Transport VIC

Project Value:

Confidential

The Victorian Government has committed to trial zero emission buses across Victoria as part of a three-year ZEB plan, with Five Victorian bus operators having been selected to trial 41 electric buses on existing routes across the state’s metropolitan and regional bus networks.

The learnings from the trials will pave the way for the transition of Victoria’s 4,000 bus fleet to zero emissions. From 2025, all new buses purchased in Victoria will be zero emissions, which is critical to achieve the state’s goal of zero net emissions by 2050.

Moreover, the State is introducing the first fully electric bus depot, charging up to 27 buses in Melbourne’s north by early 2024. The largest participant in the ZEB Bus Trial, bus operator Ventura, will install 15 charging units to power electric buses at its converted Ivanhoe depot; with the first 12 electric buses due to enter the network this year.

These initiatives will provide valuable insights into the challenges and issues involved with transitioning an entire bus depot to battery electric bus technology, ahead of other depots being built or converted in coming years.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

Together, with WSP, we were engaged by the Department of Transport in Victoria as a Technical Advisor.

Our team prepared whole-of-life estimates capturing the conversion of three existing bus depots into electric, as well as the necessary upgrades to the network grid supplying electricity to such depots. These estimates were conducted for three different options for each depot as part of the Optioneering phase.

Our estimates included:

  • Preparing cost estimates in a way that represented P50/P90 WOL budget, including all CapEx and OpEx incremental costs.
  • Conducting the Capital Expenditure estimate, including all direct, indirect, client, escalation, and contingency costs for the project; substantiating and comparing estimates against national and international benchmarks.
  • Preparing Operational Expenditure estimates based on our experience in the management and operations of electric depots.
  • Providing detailed advice regarding escalation indices and forecasting for the different components of the estimate, considering the complexity of the works, local content, technology evolution and manufacturing capabilities.

Our team of experts are excited to be working with government agencies, financiers, operators, manufacturers, and local entities to fully transition fleets and supporting infrastructure into zero emissions across Australia.