Kempower and Charge Hub to electrify Western Australia’s largest e-bus depot in Perth

• Kempower partners with Charge Hub and Addelec to supply what will be Western Australia’s largest e-bus depot with capacity of 110 buses 

• Kempower’s fast chargers will facilitate the full recharging of an e-bus overnight, meaning public transport services can operate as normal after transitioning to electric 

• The project, funded by the federal and state government, will be completed in phases so the depot can remain operational throughout the upgrade 

​​​PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA – Finnish DC fast charging manufacturer Kempower is electrifying what will become Western Australia’s largest public transport e-bus depot with its Australian sales and service partner Charge Hub. The Malaga bus depot in Perth, which will have the capacity to accommodate up to 110 electric buses, is being upgraded to set a new standard for sustainable transit infrastructure and drive the electric bus transition in the state. 

To deliver the major project, Charge Hub, ​​an EV charging infrastructure specialist, has teamed up with the local installer Addelec Power to set the depot up with Kempower’s market-leading fast charging technology, all while keeping the facility operational to avoid downtime of existing public transport services. 

The installation process will involve setting up Kempower Power Units and ground-mounted Kempower Satellite chargers, which work together to distribute power dynamically across the site and ​​optimize charging time. The charging hub will be equipped with over 5MW of Kempower Power Units to deliver power to 50 double-output and ten single-output Kempower Satellites. Each Satellite can deliver up to ​​150 kW of power to each vehicle meaning vehicles can charge overnight and remain fully operational during normal service hours.   

As power needs are expected to grow when the depot reaches full capacity, the infrastructure has been chosen, in part, for its flexible and modular design, which accommodates additions and adjustments to the charging configuration while ensuring consistent reliability. This will allow the project teams to deliver a phased installation as the ​​Perth Transport Authority (PTA) continues its operations on-site. 

​​​The project comes as part of a larger AUSD 250 million joint initiative by the federal and state governments, which have pledged AUSD 125 million investment in electric bus charging infrastructure and AUSD 125 million for the acquisition of 130 locally manufactured electric buses. 

Dylan Perera, Kempower’s Business Development Manager for APAC, ​said​: “Collaborating with Charge Hub and Addelec on this project has allowed us to build a solution that truly meets the needs of a large-scale, high-traffic site. The Malaga depot’s phased installation showcases our technology’s adaptability​ to customer needs​ and ​the project ​underscores our commitment to supporting Australia’s path toward zero-emission public transport.” 

Paul Guy, Managing Director at Charge Hub, said: “The Malaga depot project represents a new market model to tackle complexity and scale in EV infrastructure projects going forward. As charging installation projects become increasingly demanding, it will be vital for partners to collaborate closely and harness market-leading charging technology to help us electrify more of our large-scale infrastructure. Kempower’s chargers proved flexible, robust and powerful enough to meet the high standards required by a large and busy e-bus hub, and the team’s expertise will be instrumental in helping us complete the work quickly, efficiently and with minimal disruption.  Charge Hub’s success comes down to early engagement and open dialogue between us, Kempower, installation partners and engineers, ​​​​and the customer, operating the depot. The Malaga depot project represents a new market model to tackle the complexity and scale of the​​ infrastructure development projects that we will see start to ramp up next year. Kempower’s support on this project has been outstanding.” 

​​John Boyd, Addelec’s National Business Development Manager, added: ​​​​​”We are delighted to be delivering this project with our industry​-leading​ partners, ​Kempower and ​Charge Hub. The close collaboration allowed us to create a value-engineered solution for the Malaga depot, combining the strengths and resources to drive innovation. ​It’s exciting to see powerful technology like this coming to the forefront which is enabling the transition of large, hard to electrify vehicles like buses and we’re proud that Perth’s public transport will be increasingly sustainable going forward. This partnership, backed by the Australian Government and PTA, will act as a catalyst for new electrification projects across Western Australia as we move closer to a net-zero future.”​ 

Kempower media: 

Paula Savonen, VP, Communications, Kempower      

paula.savonen@kempower.com     

+358 400 343 851     

Kempower in brief: 

We design and manufacture reliable and user-friendly DC fast-charging solutions for electric vehicles. Our vision is to create the world’s most desired EV charging solutions for everyone, everywhere. Our product development and production are based in Finland and in the U.S. with the majority of our materials and components sourced locally. We focus on all areas of e-mobility, from electric cars, trucks, and buses to machines and marine. Our modular and scalable charging system and world-class software are designed by EV drivers for EV drivers, enabling the best user experience for our customers around the world. Kempower is listed on the Main Market of Nasdaq Helsinki. 

www.kempower.com 

Charge Hub in brief: 

Charge Hub was established in 2022 and is set to grow together with a strong nationwide network of Partners and Contractors across Australia and New Zealand.  Our EV Network works with global eRoaming Partners, which allows our Users to be able to access over 530,000 x EV Stations in all countries around the world, except USA and Canada.  We specialize in strategic design, implementation, hardware supply, installation project management, and after sales service support for DC Bus & Truck Depots, Council Fleet Management, AC & DC Public Charging, Commercial Building applications, Apartment/Strata solutions, Billing and Load Management integration. www.chargehub.solutions