Two 'extra-large' electric buses will roll into Auckland by August of next year, as Auckland Transport continues to accelerate the Low Emissions Bus Roadmap.

The buses, built by Yutong in partnership with JW Group, and Alexander Dennis in partnership with BYD, will be the first 'extra-large' electric buses used in Auckland. These electric buses are the first of its type in the world, specially designed for New Zealand, and can carry up to 78 passengers.

Darek Koper, Auckland Transport Bus Services Manager says this deal is important in the transition to zero-emission buses.

"As we continue our Low Emissions Roadmap, we need to better understand how the buses work and how we are going to power them.

"Using low emission buses will be a big step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality across the city".

Wei Zhou, Director of JW Group says "Yutong and JW Group are pleased to continue working closely with Auckland Transport to introduce an extra-large, fully electric bus".

For the past year, a large EV bus has been on loan from Yutong to test the vehicle and requirements for Auckland and its bus operators.

"On one trial, the bus ran from the Airport to Warkworth. The round trip was 184km, with the bus using 41% of its battery capacity and an average power use of 84/kWh for every 100km travelled. The results built operational confidence in electric bus fleets." says Koper

Tony Moore, General Manager of Alexander Dennis NZ Ltd, says: "We're delighted to continue to work with Auckland Transport and to expand our partnership with BYD to deliver the new three-axle ADL/BYD Enviro200EV XLB. This model has been developed specifically for bus operations in New Zealand, offering additional capacity in zero emission vehicles."

Mayor Phil Goff says, “With 47 per cent of Auckland’s carbon emissions coming from transport, it’s crucial that we transition to a clean transport system as quickly as possible. The extra-large electric buses we are procuring will help reduce transport emissions while increasing public transport capacity to take pressure off our roads.

“These new buses add to two electric buses already being trialled and six new e-buses being purchased for Waiheke next year. We will also be trialling hydrogen buses and hope to bring forward the transition to purchasing only non-carbon-emitting vehicles.”

The buses are expected to arrive in the middle of next year.