EV bus FAQs

Waipā services have two new double decker EVs in the fleet which came into service in late November 2024.

Each vehicle has the capacity to carry 80 seated, 20 standing and one wheelchair passenger.

The three-axle electric bus was especially designed by Tranzit Group’s team of specialists with the chassis built in China through bus partner CRRC and the body built in Malaysia through partner Gemilang. It’s believed to be the first of its kind, after modifications were made to a similar prototype that landed in New Zealand last year, and will be the first double decker EV to be launched in the Waikato region.

EV buses are a more environmentally-friendly transport option than traditional diesel-fuelled buses. As part of Waikato Regional Council’s Land Transport Plan, the goal is to reach 30% reduction in emissions by 2030, on the path to net carbon zero by 2050. This strategy also coincides with WRC’s Emissions Management and Reduction Plan goal to achieve 70% CO2e by 2030 - alongside the government’s target of decarbonising the public transport fleet by 2035, and aiming to procure zero emissions vehicles only after 1 July 2025.

EV buses also offer a smoother, quieter and more comfortable ride for our passengers. The quietness of the bus also affords benefits for the general public living or working nearby the bus routes.

Waikato Regional Council is fully committed to supporting the New Zealand government in decarbonising public transport and having a fully zero-emissions fleet by 2035.  New electric vehicles will continue to be added to the fleet to replace any diesel vehicles at the end of their service. 

Waikato Regional Council launched their first EV bus in Taupō District Council on 1 December 2023, running on the Taupō Connector route - which circuits the central business district in Taupō. The second launch is in partnership with Waipā District council on 15 April 2024, which will be running on both 20 Cambridge and 24 Te Awamutu routes. The most recent vehicle to come into the fleet will be an EV operating the 30 and 31 services. The 30. Tokoroa Circuit service travels around Tokoroa town, and the 31 District Connector service travels between Tokoroa, Lichfield, Putāruru and Tīrau.

There is lot of planning required for logistical factors with implementing electric vehicles, due to the lack of pre-existing infrastructure. This is mainly regarding charging stations and ensuring vehicle charging can be completed in a timely manner in conjunction with the passenger timetables and driver schedules. Depending on the length of the route, this also impacts the capacity and size requirements for the EV batteries, which can sometimes take up passenger seating space within the vehicle. The charging infrastructure requires land, amenities and maintenance too – all of which comes with cost, construction and safety responsibilities. Council partnerships are a crucial part of these planning processes, whilst working alongside our bus operators and local communities.

As pioneers in electric vehicle technology into New Zealand, Tranzit are leaders in this field and have worked closely with their offshore partners to ensure these vehicles are suitable for our networks across the greater Waikato Region.

We have planned the routes and modelled the passenger numbers to ensure we have the right vehicle for the job! Unlike a diesel bus, an electric bus comes fit for an exact purpose meaning the design incorporates the right size bus, battery size and charging ability.

We want to ensure all of our passengers can board the services and ride comfortably, without capacity issues. At the time of the Waipā relaunch with our operators Tranzit, BUSIT was running ‘peak assist’ buses to help with passenger numbers at peak times. We will continue to run these extra deisel buses, alongside the new timetable with increased service frequency from 15 April.

This is a short term solution while we find the best fit for our passenger’s needs. The BUSIT Team will be assessing the patronage numbers regularly and will be sure to communicate any future improvement changes with our passengers.

Passenger safety is always our highest priority, and our electric vehicles were especially selected for their safety features.

Buses are equipped with fire suppression on all high voltage equipment to warn the bus driver of any high temps in the compartment, which will suppress the fire while the vehicle is being evacuated. These meet ECE R100 European standards and CATL have never had a battery fire in a bus.

There are many safety features including: vibration resistance, thermal shock and cycling, mechanical shock, fire resistance, external short circuit protection, overcharge protection, over-discharge protection and over-temperature protection to name but a few.

In an emergency, the buses will shut down the high voltage system if it detects any system leakage of the HV current or if it detects any overheating of the battery. A dashboard alarm will warn the driver to stop the vehicle. Steering then becomes powered by the 24v bus system allowing the driver safely steer the vehicle to a stop, so passengers can safely evacuate the vehicle.

Our Taupō electric bus was built in Asiastar in China and then shipped to Auckland. After compliance testing, having its Bee Card fitted and bike rack installed it now operates the Taupō Connector route in Taupō.

Our new electric buses to be introduced into Waipā in 2024 have been built CRRC in China, the largest supplier of electric buses to New Zealand. They are being shipped to Auckland, and driven from Auckland to Waikato, before undergoing compliance testing, having its Bee Card fitted and bike rack installed.

These brand-new buses have been built in China using the latest technologies, including advanced battery management systems, latest battery technology for high-speed charging and they lead the way in dual CCS type 2 charging. They will take advantage of maximum power availability at charging stations to get the maximum mileage out of them and a fast return to service.

The electric buses also feature USB ports, so passengers can charge their devices on route to their destination.

They also have bike racks meaning passengers will have greater access to cycle ways in the region and there will be room for two wheelchairs on each vehicle with an easy access ramp on and off that the driver will assist with.

Charging times vary depending on the charger, how low the battery is and the bus’s battery pack size. It can take anywhere from two hours through to a full overnight charger.

We will have options from 20kw though to 160kw of charging. Out of interest, our partners Tranzit own the largest fast charger in New Zealand at 450kw, which is located in Wellington. Amazingly, this can charge a double deck electric bus in 15 minutes!

Our Taupō electric bus affectionately, known as Evie can carry 27 seated passengers, 27 standing passengers and two wheelchairs. It can also tilt and extend a ramp for much easier access for passengers. It has a 281kWh battery pack giving it a New Zealand tested range of approximately 300-320km. It is charged at Tranzit’s Taupō depot on a smaller charger to take advantage of overnight rates.

Our electric buses on the Waipa network will typically travel 350-500 kilometres per day on our network, which will include some of the longest public transport routes in New Zealand. In New Zealand, most public transport buses travel on average 220-250kms per day.

These buses’ batteries will be re-charged overnight at our own depots located in Leamington and Kihikihi. Much like electric cars, all electric buses are impacted by whether they are travelling over flat or hilly terrain, how they are driven, and even by wind or road condition or whether it is hot or cold. These most likely will be charged in 2-4 hours depending on the battery.

Our electric bus fleet will be incrementally added to from 1 December 2023, and over time will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and save on diesel consumption.

Over time, we will look forward to tracking these reductions as well as reductions in Nitrogen Oxide Emissions (NOₓ) and PM₁₀ (Particle Matter) to determine what extra improvements this will make for our air quality and noise pollution.

Tranzit Coachlines, who are our bus partner for this network, have also introduced electric buses into Wellington incrementally since 2018. An independent report showed that air quality in key streets where these electric buses operate in the Capital City, had improved by 60% since they had been introduced, and noise pollution had reduced.

In addition, our buses will be charged using renewable energy powered by the Waikato’s surrounding hydro dams.

When choosing the right battery for our electric buses, our partners Tranzit focus on safety, reliability and sustainability. That’s why they partner with CATL in China, who are globally renowned as leaders in this field. We expect the batteries to last 10 -15 years. Tranzit has aligned with a battery supplier where they can pair these batteries to solar panels for battery storage solutions to run workshops, offices and maybe - one day - employees’ homes ensuring they can have a second life.

Yes – New Zealand’s first ever EV bus was launched in Auckland 2018 by Tranzit, servicing AUT’s North-City Campus and South-City Campus bus routes. Various councils have since launched electric buses in Auckland and Waiheke Island, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch, Nelson and Dunedin since 2018.

Tranzit has been at the forefront of bus electrification in New Zealand since 2014, supplying EV buses for AUT and Wellington in 2018, Palmerston North in 2021 and most recently Taupō in 2023 – and now Cambridge and Te Awamutu in 2024!

One of the WRC RLTP goals is to ensure that any new vehicles acquired to the fleet should be in the spirit of reducing emissions, so the use of diesel buses can be minimised, and eventually phased out (see the first question for more details).

Timing and location for the next EV launch will depend on future council partnerships – community demand, planning and logistical factors will need to be considered.

Watch this space!

The new electric buses cost $100 per day to charge, whilst an equivalent diesel bus would use more than $250 of diesel per day. Per annum, these buses will each prevent 150 tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere.

Waikato Regional Council do have a plan for introduction of a service between Cambridge and Te Awamutu as part of a series of staged improvements. We are currently implementing the first stage of improving services between Cambridge and Hamilton with more frequent buses running until later in evening. The next stage would see new bus services in Te Awamutu itself and then Stage 3 would introduce services linking Cambridge and Te Awamutu. This is also identified in the current Regional Public Transport Plan. We have not included this in our bid to central government for funding for the next three years, but we may look at it as part of a bid for service improvements in 2027.