Scania to supply 60 electric bus chassis to South Australia

Scania is set to supply a total of 60 fully electric urban buses – more precisely, bus chassis – to the Australian market. The client is the government of South Australia’s Department of Infrastructure and Transport, with which the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer has long maintained an excellent relationship. The agreement includes an annual option for an unspecified number of units, which Scania will maintain until June 2029.

The two-axle, low-entry solo electric buses will serve in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, with their bodies manufactured by Volgren, a leading player in the Australian market. The finished vehicles will feature 43 seats and have a range exceeding 400 kilometers on a single charge, although exact technical details, including battery capacity, have not been disclosed. Production of the vehicles will commence this year, with the first deliveries expected in November 2025. Although Scania’s press release refers to the electric platform to be delivered as part of the K-series (well-known in diesel and gas configurations), it is likely a right-hand drive adaptation of the electric product line offered in Europe under the name LE BEV, also available in a tri-axle version since April. The buses will be equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that monitor the vehicle’s position, speed, and distance from other vehicles to protect the safety of on-board passengers and other road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.

Currently, about 825 of the more than 1000-vehicle bus fleet in South Australia are Scania-based in terms of technical foundations. Last year, the Swedish giant, part of the Traton Group, delivered a total of 5626 buses worldwide, mostly chassis since the closure of the Słupsk body plant last year. In the Australian market, other leading European bus manufacturers also typically operate more as chassis suppliers, although several have withdrawn from the land of kangaroos in recent years, while Chinese competition has also made a strong entry here, both in terms of complete vehicles and chassis.

Photos: Scania