OUT OF THE GATES

This new Element is the very first electric bus for Custom Denning and, surprisingly, it has only been in development since January 2020. The process from conception to what ABC magazine is testing see today has been a process that has moved quickly from sourcing battery and electrical componentry from Europe last March, with the very first chassis arriving in August, 2020.

Speaking with Custom Bus Group’s national contracts manager Grant Mascord about the development of the electric Element, he explained: “In the initial stages of development process, the first five chassis were built at the Denning Acacia Ridge plant (Queensland) using the Denning low-floor chassis as a starting point. From April onwards, we will commence building the chassis here at St Marys (Sydney). The Element is suitable for all city bus applications nationwide – it has really broad appeal.

“For the electrical side of the bus we are working in collaboration with Actia,” he continued.

“They are the electric bus management suppliers for motors, invertors, DC controllers and that type of componentry. We also have made an agreement with Siemens for chargers; it will allow us to use the same chargers on the trial buses to ensure