2015-04-07 Item 2 - Attachment 1 - Pre feasibility Study of Electric Bus Routes

Passenger Capacity
The electric bus has been designed with varying passenger capacities and is able to meet
the requirements of most transit agencies. The current capacity of the TransLink buses
(12.5m) in Noosa has a capacity for 58 passengers. A smaller bus would be able to meet
current demands at a lower operational cost to Noosa Council. However, it may not be able
to meet the demand during peak seasons and need to be considered in the evaluation of
options available.

Shortlist of Electric Bus Manufacturers
The market research found that there were many companies involved either directly or
indirectly in the electric bus industry. Companies that were researched were found to
originate from New Zealand, Asia (China and Korea), Europe (Germany, Luxemburg,
Netherlands, Italy, and Poland) and the Americas (United States and Canada).
In total twenty six (26) electric bus manufacturers were researched to develop comparative
product (fleet) profiles comprising of twenty (19) international and seven (7) locally based
manufacturers as provided in Table 5 and Table 6, respectively.
To evaluate the companies that offer electric buses, a number of essential factors were
required to be met to first shortlist companies for further evaluation. The essential factors
included:
  Reputation of the company and tenure in the industry. This was an important
  consideration specifically to make sure that we are dealing with an OEM that is capable
  and reliable in delivery and quality. The nature of a new technology deployment comes
  with a given level or risk and for this reason efforts have been made to mitigate the level
  of risk by selecting reputable manufacturers that have the ability to overcome any
  challenges of deployment of the new bus. . During the research process it was found that
  some companies were slow to respond and unable to deliver the required specifications –
  this was a process that helped to eliminate OEMs that are not likely to deliver the
  appropriate level of service and product
  Proven electric bus technology with buses implemented in the field (minimum 12 months)
  Availability to provide a vehicle for the 6-month trial expected in August 2015
  Ability to complete the electric bus route with an approximate range of 280 km per day (23
  [email protected] km round trip). It was found that the quoted range of the electric vehicles by
  electric bus manufacturers tended to be over-stated (compared to actual performance in
  the field). As a minimum, a quoted range of 150 km was considered acceptable which
  would yield an operating range of 100 km. This would require 3 (three) charges per day
  as a maximum. If the bus range was at the higher range bracket of 150km of range this
  would require only one full charge per day or 2 partial chargers (which would reduce
  operational complexity)
  Proven right-hand drive vehicles to suit the Australian driving conditions which minimises
  the additional cost of customising the electric bus
  Easily able to provide the after sales support, parts replacement and training of drivers
  Compliance with Australian Standards in terms of vehicle specifications including
  Australian Design Rules (ADR) standards and Disability Discrimination Act requirements
  A summary of the findings from the market research is provided in Appendix B.
  Manufacturer’s brochures are provided in Appendix B. A summary of the comparison of
  the electric bus technology considered is provided in Appendix C.




                               GHD | Feasibility Study of Electric Bus Routes in Noosa - Planning Report | 23