Adelaide Seeking All-Electric Passenger Bus

28 October 2005

The city of Adelaide, Australia, has issued a call for registrations of interest (ROI) for manufacturers to supply an all-electric passenger bus with a minimum seating capacity of 20 by June 2006.

The ROI package does not provide final specifications. Rather, it sets out some general requirements to which interested providers must respond, and provide some indicative pricing as well.

However, some of the general requirements of the electric bus are as follows:

• Minimal charging cycles, with a range of at least 200 kilometers (124 miles) in an urban start/stop cycle between battery charges.

• A steady speed of 60 kilometers per hour (37 mph), with the capability of hitting 80 km/h (50 mph).

• Capable of operation in temperatures ranging from 0º to 50º C.

• Solar conductive panels (as bus windows and elsewhere) to assist in the powering of the bus that may also allow screen printed advertising to be applied as overlay.

Registrations close 6 December 2005 at 3pm South Australian time. Full details of the ROI (Tender code ACC012232) are available on the South Australia Tenders and Contracts site.