Kinetic completes Sunshine West depot electrification for 60 zero-emission buses

Sunshine West upgrade completed

Kinetic says it has completed electrification upgrades at its Sunshine West bus depot in Melbourne’s west, with the site due to host 60 zero-emission buses by the end of 2026. The operator describes itself as the largest bus operator in Australasia, and says the upgrade adds capacity well beyond this year’s planned fleet. Kinetic also says the project was delivered in partnership with the Victorian Government. ¹²

Charging capacity and equipment

According to Kinetic, the upgrade lifts Sunshine West’s zero-emission bus charging capacity from 24 to 66. The installed infrastructure has been designed to support up to 82 vehicles as more buses are introduced. Kinetic says the first stage includes three overhead charging gantries carrying 38 charge points, with space for up to 54 charge points, plus two fast chargers for high-capacity opportunity charging and a second electrical kiosk to increase power available on site. ¹²

Kinetic says the overhead system uses automated charging technology first introduced at its Heatherton depot, with load management software distributing charging across the site overnight so demand stays within the depot’s power limits while every bus is ready for morning service. The company says the Sunshine West installation follows earlier gantry projects at Glenfield in Auckland and at Preston and Heatherton in Melbourne. ¹²

Routes, hybrid fleet and network role

Kinetic says passengers will see zero-emission buses on routes 215, 216, 220, 223, 232 and 429, as well as on some Fisherman’s Bend to CBD services. It also says 20 hybrid buses will remain based at Sunshine West to support routes 901, 902 and 903, which it describes as among the longest in Melbourne’s bus network. ¹²

Kinetic says Sunshine West was one of Victoria’s first depots to charge electric buses and that the site’s charging runs entirely on renewable energy from the grid, with more than 300 solar panels providing additional energy support. The company says it operates 64 routes across Melbourne and has run services under the Metropolitan Bus Franchise since February 2022, with the Metropolitan Zero Emission Bus Franchise added in July 2025. ¹²

Earlier depot milestones in context

A separate depot milestone cited in the broader Australian bus electrification rollout is Transit Systems’ Leichhardt depot, which Sustainable Bus said in December 2022 had completed construction and become operational as Australia’s largest electrified bus depot. That report said 55 e-buses were then operating there, supported by a 1.25MW/2.5MWh Tesla battery system, a 388kW rooftop solar array, five 120kW DC fast chargers and 31 AC 80kW chargers. ⁴

Another recent comparison point is Adelaide Metro’s Morphettville Bus Depot, which EV Infrastructure News reported in July 2026 had opened as South Australia’s first dedicated electric bus charging hub. That project was said to include 60 charging stations supporting 55 battery electric buses already in service, with the remaining five expected to enter service that month. ³