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

  Pilot was conducted with a Designline electric bus manufactured in New Zealand based
  on specifications originating from the United Arab Emirates
  Conducted for both social and environmental reasons to enhance its community bus
  services
  The route is a circuit through North Adelaide and the Adelaide CBD linking key retail,
  commercial, cultural and transport nodes
  Adelaide City Council conducted surveys to understand customer satisfaction as well as
  driver feedback
  Bus drivers were generally very happy with the new electric bus (Single Unit Only). They
  received comprehensive training similarly to the Council maintenance staff; however the
  procurement of parts when required has been problematic and meant the vehicle has
  been off line for weeks at a time. During these periods a lease vehicle was required
  Council has had some issues with the battery charging software not distributing an
  even coverage and as such life span of batteries has been inconsistent. Batteries lasted
  about 4.5 years in lieu of the 10 year expectation

Infrastructure
  Recharging was via a solar electric charge at the bus depot. Slow overnight charge using
  a 35kW system designed by the manufacturer Designline. Although a fast charge of
  70kW was also obtained; however not used to date. The bus has been off the road since
  January 2014 as new operation procedures are being negotiated with the State
  Government to take over ownership and operation of the bus
  Air conditioning drained power significantly and the vehicle was taken off the road on
  consecutive days over 40 degrees
  Vehicle is currently off the road due to DDA compliance not being met (including the
  fact that the wheelchair space 100mm too narrow) as such a DDA Audit has been
  undertaken to seek advice about what improvements need to be undertaken
  Inverter capacity has been an issue at times. More power to weight ratio provides
   excellent torque

  At a 20% charge, the bus is limited to speeds of 25 -30 km/h (safety mode) which was
  adequate only to get back to depot for recharging. This is to ensure that the batteries
  are not fully depleted and reducing their longevity

4.5     Assessment of selected electric bus manufacturers

4.5.1    Multiple-Criteria Analysis of electric bus manufacturers

The MCA process forms part of the overall methodology of options filtering. MCA is a
technique that is commonly used to evaluate a project whereby project performance is not
solely measured in single monetary units but on the basis of performance against multiple
assessment criteria. It is a widely accepted evaluation method where all the impacts cannot
be fully quantified in monetary terms and objectives may be in conflict. The MCA process
measures the effectiveness i.e. efficiency and not the absolute worth of an option, and
makes use of quantitative and qualitative measures.
The form of the MCA proposed for this study is known as the Goals Achievement Matrix
(GAM) method. GHD has used this approach on many other jobs with satisfactory outcomes.
The primary focus of the GAM method is on the selected project outcomes as opposed to
the effects of the project per se.




                              GHD | Feasibility Study of Electric Bus Routes in Noosa - Planning Report | 35