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Whether it's the growing number of electric buses, new electric trains for the lower North Island and City Rail Link, or new electric ferries, we love seeing more electric transport options in our big cities. It's also good to see some of our smaller cities like Palmerston North, Timaru and Nelson going electric and, as is almost always the case, the drivers reckon it's better on electrons. At the Electrify Nelson expo, we spoke with one driver Lee about the city's electric buses. And he definitely wouldn't go back to diesel.
The electric buses are smoother, faster and quieter. The old buses were so loud, he says he sometimes wouldn't hear the ding when someone wanted to stop. That's not an issue in the electric version.
It's also more comfortable for the passengers to read and play with their phones.
Lee says it takes about two hours to fully charge the Foton buses and that gives it about 250km of range.
"Each bus we run from Richmond to Nelson about 16 times a day and it comes back with around 20% battery."
At the end of the day, they get plugged in at the depot and it's ready to roll the next morning.
"Much easier."
Nelson wasn't the first place in New Zealand to get electric buses, but it did go big from the start, with 80% of fleet upgraded in 2023. That made it the first primarily electric fleet in the country outside a major urban centre.
As of August this year, there were 17 electric buses on the region's roster.
From a council perspective, more cities are embracing it for the air quality and emissions, but Lee says the price the diesel price was obviously a major consideration. Any council that has invested in electric public transport and reduced their exposure is looking quite prescient now given what's happened to prices this year as a result of the war in the Middle East. And with diesel prices spiking again recently, it's still pretty painful at the pump.
Political Power has gone local! Dr Nick Smith, mayor of Nelson and ex-National Party minister, is an early adopter when it comes to electric machines but, through his efforts with the council and his close involvement with the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme, he's also embracing one of Rewiring's core mantras: once you've electrified your own life, electrify someone else's life, too.
Read moreDownloadWhether it's the growing number of electric buses, new electric trains for the lower North Island and City Rail Link, or new electric ferries, we love seeing more electric transport options in our big cities. It's also good to see some of our smaller cities like Palmerston North, Timaru and Nelson going electric and, as is almost always the case, the drivers reckon it's better on electrons. At the Electrify Nelson expo, we spoke with one driver Lee about the city's electric buses. And he definitely wouldn't go back to diesel.
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