Victoria’s first fully electric, locally built public bus will soon set off along one of Melbourne’s busiest routes, providing passengers with a smoother, more sustainable ride.

The bus will run on Route 246 between Elsternwick and Clifton Hill via St Kilda before potentially being used across other inner Melbourne routes.

The body construction and fit out for the new bus was carried out in Dandenong by Volgren.

The new zero-emission bus is fitted with 324kWh of Lithium Phosphate batteries providing 300km of travel range.

The bus will not only help to reduce carbon emissions, it will also improve air quality and deliver a quieter and smoother ride for passengers.

It features a low floor, intelligent early detection collision avoidance systems, USB charging ports and will be among the cleanest commercial vehicles on Australian roads.

The bus will be based at Transdev’s North Fitzroy depot where a charging station has been installed.

The trial will continue until January 2021 and will be reviewed to determine the potential to roll out fully electric buses across Victoria.

Minister for Public Transport, Melissa Horne, said the State Government was modernising, expanding and upgrading its bus fleet, while improving the passenger experience and trialing new technology with the aim of reducing the impact on the environment.

“It doesn’t matter what mode of transport you use – bus, train or tram – because we’re investing across the entire network to provide safe and reliable trips for Victorians.”

CEO Transdev Australasia, Luke Agati, said he believes electric vehicles will become an important mode of transport in Melbourne in coming years.

“As the leading operator of zero-emission mobility solutions globally, we’re delighted to partner with the Victorian Government to bring this technology to Melbourne.

“We believe electric buses will play an important role in Melbourne’s future public transport network and we’re looking forward to hearing from our customers about what they think of Melbourne’s first locally built, fully electric bus.”