Vector has joined forces with Auckland Transport (AT) to help electrify Auckland’s bus fleet. That’s no mean feat with 1,400 buses to be converted to zero emissions vehicles by 2030. 

The work began in 2020 when Vector and AT signed a Memorandum of Understanding to look for opportunities to reduce the costs of bus charging infrastructure, so that the transition can be more affordable. Earlier this year we completed a detailed study into what it would take to electrify the whole fleet, with high-capacity charging infrastructure at each of AT’s 21 bus depots across the city. 

The latest milestone will see the electrification work begin, with three bus depots set to be electrified by the end of this year.  

Darek Koper, Head of Metro Services at AT, said this project would help reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality in the city.   

“Lowering transport emissions will improve our climate and make the environment we live in cleaner and more sustainable,” he said. “It will help promote modal shift to further reduce emissions from road transport.” 

The newly electrified bus depots will have capacity to charge 20 to 30 buses each. This will mostly happen overnight, and the charging will be ‘fleet managed’ to achieve as smooth a load profile as possible. Both of these factors will reduce the impact on the electricity network, leading to cost efficiencies for Vector and Auckland Transport, which then benefit both organisations’ customers.  

The fleet managed charging is coordinated through Vector’s Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS), which provides the transparency and simplicity required to make this work.  
​This collaborative project is a stellar example of Vector’s Symphony strategy, finding innovative ways to deliver positive benefits for the customer, the business and the environment.