Brookvale Bus Depot: Fast charging sparks electric bus change on northern beaches

Sydney's northern beaches is pioneering revolutionary fast charging bus technology in the first step to rolling out a fully electric fleet.

Brookvale is the first of Sydney’s 11 bus depots to be fitted out with an Australia-first gantry-mounted fast-charging station that allows electric buses to be recharged in as little as 20 minutes. Picture: NewsWire

Australia-first technology has been officially unveiled on the northern beaches that will lead to more clean, green electric buses on our roads.

The Brookvale Bus Depot can now charge its 13 electric buses in as little as 20 minutes each thanks to the country’s first overhead gantry-mounted Zero Emissions Bus fast charging station.

Keolis Downer, the private firm operating public buses on the northern beaches and lower North Shore for the state government, is now on track to replace its whole fleet of more than 200 diesel buses with battery electric vehicles by 2028.

NSW Premier Chris Minns and his Transport Minister, John Graham, were at the depot on Friday to confirm that Brookvale was the first of Sydney’s 11 bus depots to be fitted with fast charge technology.

In December 2022, the previous Coalition government’s Transport Minister David Elliott and Liberal MP for Manly, James Griffin, announced that the Brookvale depot would receive funding for an electric charging upgrade.

Brookvale Bus Depot will end up with a full electric fleet by 2028. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

“First the metro, and now Brookvale depot. Premier Chris Minns is showing us just how skilled he has become at cutting ribbons for projects started by the former Coalition Government,” Mr Griffin said in a statement.

The $25m installation of the 13 pantograph charging positions and 10 plug-in chargers at Brookvale has now come after lobbying by the independent MPs for Wakehurst, Michael Regan and Pittwater, Jacqui Scruby for improved buses and services on the northern beaches.

At the unveiling of the fast charge technology were (L-R) NSW Transport Minister John Graham, Premier Chris Minns, Transport for NSW co-ordinator general Howard Collins, state MP for Wakehurst Michael Regan, state MP for Pittwater Jacqui Scruby and Keolis Downer CEO David Franks. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

Mr Graham said the installation of the charging station was an important step in switching the state’s 8000 buses to electric battery power. A bus can travel 300kms on a single charge.

Depots at Leichhardt and Kingsgrove were expected to install the bus charging technology next year. An electric depot is also planned for Macquarie Park.

The introduction of more electric buses comes just weeks after the government announced it was bringing back 20 articulated “bendy” buses to troubled routes on the northern beaches.

Ms Scruby said that people on the northern beaches had suffered a “bus crisis:” and that they “care about climate change and care about a great bus network”.

(L-R) State MP for Pittwater Jacqui Scruby and state MP for Wakehurst Michael Regan have been lobbying the Minns Government to improve bus services on the northern beaches. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

“This investment in cleaner, quieter and more reliable services is a huge win for our community,” she said.

Mr Regan said the electric technology was a “game changer”.
“I know the premier and the minister are going to enjoy hearing less from me as we get more investment and more buses here and we work with Keolis Downer … to get more people working here and living here,” he said.

Mr Minns said that as a result of the changes at Brookvale, locals will see “whisper quiet” buses on the northern beaches.

“We are building a better bus system for NSW, with the northern beaches leading the way,” he said.

Originally published as Brookvale Bus Depot: Fast charging sparks electric bus change on northern beaches