Electric buses will be rolled out in Far North Queensland in a new project backed by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) – providing $4.75 million from the Driving the Nation Fund to Cairns tour and charters operator Tropic Wings for its “Sustainable Transport in Tourism Project”.
The project will support Tropic Wings to transition nearly a third of its fleet to electric with the delivery of 12 electric buses.
ARENA funding will contribute to the installation of 11 EV chargers, associated enabling infrastructure and two battery energy storage systems (BESS).
The project follows Tropic Wings’ purchase of a battery-powered bus in 2019..
Tropic Wings is a family operated business running tours from Cairns to the Daintree, Kuranda and other local attractions, as well as a busy charter operation.
In collaboration with the Electric Vehicle Council, Tropic Wings will turn the lessons from the project into a blueprint for transitioning to battery electric vehicle (BEV) fleets for the tourism sector.
Higher upfront vehicle costs, limited existing electrical infrastructure and limited access to capital disincentivise small businesses from electrifying their fleets.
ARENA chief executive Darren Miller says e-bus use in the tourism sector at this scale is an Australian first.
“With roughly 100,000 buses in Australia, the scale of the challenge is enormous, and for smaller family-owned businesses the barriers are even greater.,” he explains.
“This is what the Driving the Nation fund is for, supporting companies that are finding solutions and paving the way for zero emissions vehicles on our roads.”
Tropic Wings director Michael Woodward says the company is committed to tourism sustainability.
The Driving the Nation Fund includes $500 million to invest in cheaper and cleaner transport.
ARENA has an active “Focus Area” related to innovation in charging with $70 million funding available to support innovation in both public charging and management of charging.
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