Australian bus manufacturer chooses Siemens charging stations

One of Australia’s leading bus manufacturers, Custom Denning, has selected Siemens’ electric bus charging stations and digital depot management solution for its fleet of fully Australian-designed and -built ‘Element’ electric buses.

The Sicharge UC eBus charging infrastructure from Siemens will be part of Custom Denning’s zero emission electric bus trial. Each trial bus will be delivered to a bus operator paired with a Sicharge UC100 capable of delivering up to 125 kW, along with Siemens’ digital depot management solution. In addition to this, Custom Denning has also purchased a stock of Sicharge UC100 charging units for future bus sales.

The Element electric buses are built at Custom Denning’s St Mary’s factory in Western Sydney. Once fully operational the site will be capable of producing 550 eBuses annually, with the intention of selling them locally and globally.

“Electrification of transport fleets, including eBuses, becomes more and more important as nations move towards embracing net zero 2050 ambitions,” said Siemens Australia Pacific Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Connolly. “Our e-charging infrastructure already supports bus networks around the world, and now I’m delighted to see Custom Denning choose Siemens in Australia.”

“Custom Denning’s mission of using advanced manufacturing to continually improve very much aligns with Siemens’ ambitions to support local capability through world-leading technology,” he continued. “It’s only fitting that the e-charging infrastructure is also world-leading technology offering operators enhanced flexibility, robustness and scalability. In the coming years, Australia will have thousands of e-buses and that means the electrical and charging infrastructure needs to flexibly grow with it.”

The Sicharge UC system serves the entire power range from 50 to 600 kW and can operate at up to 1000 V. This gives bus operators optimal flexibility when planning electric bus depots by providing efficient infrastructure designed to take into account the rapid advances in battery technology. Additionally, it enables bus operators to cost-effectively expand charging infrastructure with up to five dispensers plus a pantograph per charging centre.

Scott Dunn, the Managing Director of Custom Denning, said choosing Siemens technology gave the company greater flexibility.

“Technology can change quickly, particularly around charging infrastructure. Which is why working with a company like Siemens that keeps ahead of the curve makes sense for us as a local manufacturer,” he said. “We also needed a solution that would make the transition to electric buses as seamless as possible for bus operators and Siemens is a natural fit. Bus operators have the reassurance of a leading product that is used in many countries worldwide and also in getting the right charging infrastructure quickly through existing stock so they can hit the ground running with a packaged solution.”