2nd March 2023

• Zenobē has signed a contract with Ventura to install, service and maintain 14 electric bus chargers at its Ivanhoe depot
• The first phase of the project is now live
• By 2024, Ventura’s Ivanhoe depot will be home to 27 electric buses and will be the largest all-electric bus depot in Australia

Fleet electrification specialist Zenobē is to partner with Ventura Bus and the Department of Transport, Victoria to support the electrification of Ivanhoe Depot in Heidelberg West, Victoria. Zenobē will install charging infrastructure and the associated software and provide ongoing smart charging and asset monitoring, servicing and maintenance to the depot that will facilitate 27 electric buses by early 2024.

The project is Zenobē’s first project within the State of Victoria to support its $20 million trial to deploy zero emission vehicles across its public transport network in a bid to drive down carbon emissions. Ventura Bus is the largest bus operator in Victoria and operates twelve depots across the region.

Zenobē will manage the upgraded grid connection that will support 14 dual gun Tritium fast chargers to power Ventura’s first fleet of 13 electric buses, with a commitment to expand to 27 buses by 2024.

The buses and the charging infrastructure will be supported by Zenobē’s award winning software to ensure the buses are optimally charged and managed. Zenobē will also operate and maintain the charging infrastructure for three years.

Once fully operational, Ivanhoe Depot will be the first all-electric bus depot in Victoria and the second largest electric bus depot in the country and will transport up to 10,000 passengers every week, covering more than 1.2 million kilometres every year.

Last week the Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll visited Ivanhoe depot – which is set to become home to the largest fleet of locally made zero emission electric buses across the Victorian state.

The project is Zenobē’s third large-scale bus depot fleet electrification project in Australia and is fast positioning itself as a global leader of depot electrification. The company now employs 14 people across Sydney, Newcastle and Melbourne.

Daniel Andrews Premier of Victoria, said: “Victorians deserve a great public transport system – one that’s clean, reliable and sustainable. That’s why we’re rolling out more electric buses, and work on the state’s first all-electric bus depot will soon be complete.”

Ben Carroll, Minister for Public Transport, said: “We’re delivering all-electric buses and building our vital local industry partnerships with energy providers and manufacturers, as we transition to net zero.”

Steven Meersman, Co-founder and Director of Zenobē said: “Through this partnership we can provide a financially sustainable solution for transport decarbonisation that will have a direct impact on the air quality of communities these vehicles operate in.”

Gareth Ridge, Zenobē’s Country Director said: “We are proud to work with Ventura as part of Victoria’s $20m Zero Emission Bus Trial, to deliver what will be Australia’s first fully electric bus depot. The depot will be integrated with our software to ensure the depot runs efficiently, without undue strain on the grid and achieves the highest degree of time, cost and carbon savings.”

Andrew Cornwall, Ventura Bus’s Managing Director said: “We are excited to work with Zenobē to transform our Ivanhoe depot to one that meets the needs of our new fleet of electric buses. These electric buses will be a breath of fresh air for customers traveling to destinations such as Latrobe University, Northland Shopping Centre, Preston Market and Gowrie Station.”