Kinetic has announced the completion of a slew of electrification upgrades at its Sunshine West bus depot in Melbourne’s west, which will enable the site to run 60 zero-emission buses by the end of 2026.
The new upgrades have increased the site’s capacity from 24 to 66, and the infrastructure has been designed to support up to 82 as more buses arrive.
Local passengers will be able to ride emissions free on routes 215, 216, 220, 223, 232 and 429, as well as on some Fisherman’s Bend to CBD services.
Currently, 20 hybrid buses will remain based at Sunshine West, and will support the 901, 902 and 903 orbital routes – those that are amongst the longest in Melbourne’s bus network.
The works also include automated charging technology first introduced at Kinetic’s Heatherton depot, with load management software distributing charging across the site overnight and keeping demand within the depot’s power limits whilst ensuring all buses are ready for operation each morning.
Delivered in partnership with the Victorian Government; the upgrade has seen the installation of three overhead gantries carrying 38 charge points in the first stage, as well as the infrastructure capacity to house up to 54.
Two fast chargers provide high-capacity opportunity charging, whilst a second electrical kiosk increases available power on site.
The installation follows Kinetic’s earlier implementation at its Glenfield depot in Auckland, as well as its Preston and Heatherton depots in Melbourne.
Kinetic Managing Director (Australia) Matthew Campbell, said:By the end of this year, Sunshine West will operate 60 zero-emission buses. For a depot of this size, serving a part of Melbourne that relies heavily on its bus network, that is a significant shift.
We have built in headroom deliberately. The infrastructure here can support more zero-emission buses than we will have at the depot this year, so we are ready as more arrive.
Alongside Heatherton, Sunshine West shows what can be achieved by upgrading depots already in service, working closely with the Victorian Government and with our building and bus manufacturing partners.
