WEBVTT - EXCLUSIVE - Government's 72 electric buses hit by major battery defects

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<v Speaker 1>Twenty two past three. I received a tip off late

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<v Speaker 1>last week about issues more issues with electric buses at

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<v Speaker 1>a particular depot in Sydney. I can reveal this afternoon

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<v Speaker 1>we have a major problem with the electric bus fleet

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<v Speaker 1>in Sydney. I've confirmed that dozens do not work. Simple

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<v Speaker 1>as that. My initial contact told me there are sixteen

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<v Speaker 1>buses at the Speed and Grange depot in the Southwest,

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<v Speaker 1>sixteen electric buses that are not being used, that have

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<v Speaker 1>been sitting there at the depot for some time. That

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<v Speaker 1>depot was operated by Transit Systems. Now my contact works

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<v Speaker 1>on buses and they tell me they've been sitting idle

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<v Speaker 1>and they were concerned that the axles themselves have seized up. Well.

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<v Speaker 1>I alluded to this a couple of days ago, and

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<v Speaker 1>as a result, I've been sent lots of correspondence by you,

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<v Speaker 1>our listeners, telling me about more problems within the industry,

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<v Speaker 1>telling me about problems specifically with electric buses, and just

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<v Speaker 1>from the outset. Let me make this clear, forget issues

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<v Speaker 1>about climate change. I actually think the transition to electric buses,

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<v Speaker 1>if it makes financial sense, may well be a good

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<v Speaker 1>thing in the long term. They're quiet if you're in traffic.

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<v Speaker 1>You're not stuck behind a bus that's spewing out diesel

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<v Speaker 1>from its tail pipe, So it does make some sense,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's pretty clear from what I've discovered today, the

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<v Speaker 1>government has rushed into this over the last couple of

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<v Speaker 1>years and they're not getting it right. So what I've

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<v Speaker 1>been found out I've confirmed this now from Transport for

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<v Speaker 1>New South Wales is the problem that was identified by

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<v Speaker 1>my contact is actually much worse than they thought. The

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<v Speaker 1>departments told me. In twenty twenty two, an order was

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<v Speaker 1>placed for seventy two Element I electric buses from a

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<v Speaker 1>local manufacturer, Custom Denning. They're based in some areas. I've

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<v Speaker 1>actually been to their premises during the rollout. A number

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<v Speaker 1>of reliability issues were identified. The cause of several performance

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<v Speaker 1>and reliability issues has been attributed to the batteries they use.

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<v Speaker 1>The element IE buses require new batteries to be installed.

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<v Speaker 1>So that's seventy two buses that have been ordered from

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<v Speaker 1>Custom Denning. They all need new batteries already. That's far

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<v Speaker 1>beyond the sixteen I was initially told about. All seventy

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<v Speaker 1>two need new batteries. Transport for New South Wales tells

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<v Speaker 1>me Custom Denning is undertaking a retrofit program directify the buses.

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<v Speaker 1>We expect these buses will be returned to service progressively

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<v Speaker 1>into early twenty twenty six, so next year. The seventy

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<v Speaker 1>two buses that are ordered back in twenty twenty two

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<v Speaker 1>will not be in service until next year in full

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<v Speaker 1>because they've got problems with the batteries. Transport for New

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<v Speaker 1>South Wales tells me there are currently seventeen element Ie

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<v Speaker 1>buses on the network. Two have had the retrofit completed,

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<v Speaker 1>so two have new batteries Custom Denning Element one electric

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<v Speaker 1>buses not in service are either in the process of

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<v Speaker 1>being retrofitted so that means fixed or in storage awaiting retrofitting.

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<v Speaker 1>Eleven are currently stored at the Transport for New South

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<v Speaker 1>Wales holding at Smeaton Grange. So the buses I told

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<v Speaker 1>you about, so seventy two electric buses we order, two

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<v Speaker 1>are fully working. There are two that have had the

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<v Speaker 1>new butteries installed. That's all, and electric buses are worth

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<v Speaker 1>in the vicinity of a million dollars. Now. I've had

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<v Speaker 1>further correspondence from our listeners this week, some who work

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<v Speaker 1>as bus drivers, others who work in the industry I

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<v Speaker 1>won't name them because they value their jobs and I

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<v Speaker 1>appreciate their confidential information. This is regarding the Smeaton Grange depot.

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<v Speaker 1>My listener says there are approximately twenty five buses there.

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<v Speaker 1>They've been out of action for six months. They need

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<v Speaker 1>major repairs before they can go back into service. These

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<v Speaker 1>buses have been played by problems ever since they're delivery

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<v Speaker 1>to Transport the New South Wales. There are a large

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<v Speaker 1>number of ev buses parked at the Sydney Bus Museum,

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<v Speaker 1>which is behind the Leichhart Bus Depot. They've been paid

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<v Speaker 1>for by the Transport Department, so Transport for New South Wales.

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<v Speaker 1>They've never gone into service. That's from a bus driver.

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<v Speaker 1>Another contact of mine tells me there are at least

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<v Speaker 1>three electric buses operated by Transit Systems part near an

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<v Speaker 1>RMS road emergency vehicle and tow truck facility at Arndill Park.

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<v Speaker 1>It's near the intersection of the Great Western Highway Reservoir Road,

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<v Speaker 1>just down from the bunnings. You can see them. They're

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<v Speaker 1>sitting there in a grassy area. They're not hooked up

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<v Speaker 1>to power anything. Now, this information from a bus driver.

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<v Speaker 1>He drives an electric bus and its actually quite disturbing,

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<v Speaker 1>he tells me. There have been many issues with these

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<v Speaker 1>buses simply not working. They stop, The bus will stop

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<v Speaker 1>and you have to reset it. It can happen in traffic.

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<v Speaker 1>It has a bus stops of traffic lights. If this occurs,

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<v Speaker 1>the buses need to be completely shut down for two

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<v Speaker 1>to three minutes in the traffic. This causes to stress

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<v Speaker 1>to bus drivers and passengers and other road users. Also,

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<v Speaker 1>with the batteries in these buses, they're on the roof

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<v Speaker 1>of the bus, they're top heavy. If any of these

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<v Speaker 1>buses ever caught fire, the occupant's not going to have

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<v Speaker 1>long to get out of the bus. This is a

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<v Speaker 1>driver of electric buses, he says, I personally believe these

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<v Speaker 1>buses should not be on the roads until they're being

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<v Speaker 1>charged one hundred percent from renewables. Now that raises the

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<v Speaker 1>issue that i'd brought you a couple of months ago.

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<v Speaker 1>We were sent photos of diesel generators diesel generators that

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<v Speaker 1>electric buses have been plugged into, and Transport for New

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<v Speaker 1>South Wales did confirm that to me a couple of

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<v Speaker 1>months ago that they are charging some buses with diesel

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<v Speaker 1>generators completely misses the point doesn't it. One of my

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<v Speaker 1>listeners writes, we have some of these buses that are

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<v Speaker 1>made in some Mary's. Let me tell you, straight off

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<v Speaker 1>the bat most of these electric buses in Sydney, because

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<v Speaker 1>there are on the road. Most of these buses do

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<v Speaker 1>not charge via renewables. It's straight off the grid. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think the concept of electric buses is all

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<v Speaker 1>that bad. I don't think any of us like to

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<v Speaker 1>be behind a diesel bus that's spewing out smoke. And

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<v Speaker 1>some of them are great, lord of my bart but

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<v Speaker 1>quite simply, the industry is not ready for electric buses

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<v Speaker 1>in Sydney. The charging infrastructure poor. They're either plugged into

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<v Speaker 1>the grid or worse, diesel generators. So pointless from an

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<v Speaker 1>environmental point of view. But even worse as the fact

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<v Speaker 1>that taxpayers us we have ordered seventy two of these

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<v Speaker 1>buses and they've got forty batteries. Only two of them

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<v Speaker 1>have been fixed so far, and the rest in full

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<v Speaker 1>won't be in service until next year. And as now,

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<v Speaker 1>drivers have told me they're concerned about the safety risk

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<v Speaker 1>when the damn buses just stopped for no reason at

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<v Speaker 1>a set of lights and it needs three minutes for

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<v Speaker 1>a restart. It's not good enough. We are living out

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<v Speaker 1>this ev fantasy before the city is ready. And why well,

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<v Speaker 1>it's so we can tick a box and bureaucrats and

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<v Speaker 1>people in the department can make themselves feel good that

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<v Speaker 1>they're being environmentally friendly and they're saving the planet. It

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<v Speaker 1>ain't working