Golden Arrow swaps diesel for volts as SA’s biggest EV depot goes live

Golden Arrow Bus Services is no stranger to electric transport. In 1896 the company operated South Africa’s first electric tram. Almost 130 years later it is back at the wheel of another technological shift, this time swapping thousands of litres of diesel for batteries, solar panels and software. 

CEO Francois Meyer said the latest order of 120 BYD B12 electric buses, due between late 2024 and the end of 2025, is more than a procurement deal. “This bulk order confirms our commitment to renewable energy and will also provide us with the larger-scale operational data to pave the way towards full fleet electrification.”

The purchase represents more than 10% of a 1,100-strong fleet and a significant commitment in a country where electric mobility has so far been limited to the odd private sedan, bikes and scooters. 

A decade in the making 

Golden Arrow first explored solar energy in 2013 before trialling two BYD electric buses in 2020, said Mike Pritchard, chief experience officer at the STS Tech Group.  

Read more: Hermanus teen’s solar app powers a win at electric vehicle showcase

Over 18 months and 200,000km, the buses have proved themselves on Cape Town’s routes, including the notoriously steep Hospital Bend, a report on electrification of public transport by GreenCape shows. 

The results were promising: a range of 300km on a single charge, turnaround times of two to three hours at the plug, and no operational hiccups. 

The operational savings were enough to embolden Golden Arrow to order at scale. The long-term plan is to add 60 electric buses every year until its entire fleet is replaced. The company is also exploring ways to localise bus body manufacturing by using imported chassis with South African assembly. 

The Arrowgate experiment  

The new electric fleet runs from a depot in Arrowgate, transformed into what company engineer Gideon Neethling described as a facility that can hold its own against global peers. 

In four months, STS Tech Group’s Smart EV tripled the depot’s grid supply and installed Autel DC120 chargers, which Pritchard called “the iPhone of vehicle chargers”. 

Micheal Leighton, Smart EV’s chief technical officer, explains that the facility integrates a 1.2-megawatt-hour battery system and on-site solar power with clever load management software. This allows the depot to avoid drawing power during peak hours and keep buses running even during load shedding. 

Phase one of the build has installed 30 chargers. Phase two is set to expand to 50, creating the largest charging depot in the country. 

Counting the savings 

The depot has slashed its daily diesel use from 390,000 litres to 7,000l, said Luqmaan Ryklief, quality engineer at Golden Arrow. 

According to GreenCape’s initial cost benefit analysis, Golden Arrow could save roughly R359,000 in fuel costs per year. Maintenance is far cheaper too, with spare part use halved and oil and lubricant consumption cut by 80%. 

Cost analysis: diesel bus vs electric bus

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“On the charger side, twice a year you’ll give the fans a clean,” Pritchard explained. “You’ll check that there’s no hotspots, that all the wire connections are good. With the electric bus, [the maintenance] is brake pads and tyres. It’s minimal, it reduces a lot of the pain.” 

Even though an electric bus is two to three times the cost of a diesel bus (due to import duties and ad valorem taxes), the fuel savings accrued result in the electric bus paying for itself over its 15- to 20-year lifespan.

Read more: Cheaper down the road — total cost of e-buses beats diesel in the long run in South Africa: study

The pilot project found that passengers reported quieter, more comfortable rides, with improved air quality at bus stops, while the City edges closer to its 2050 carbon neutral target. 

Blueprint for the country

South Africa’s Green Transport Strategy aims for 5% of all new state fleet purchases to be electric by 2050. That is a fraction of the 65,000 buses and midi-buses operating nationwide. 

Golden Arrow’s project is the largest test case, supplying government and industry with the kind of local data that has been sorely missing. “We can monitor our roads and our driver behaviour, which is important to us because they contribute to the efficiency of our buses,” Ryklief said.

Partnerships are proving key. Golden Arrow has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Eskom to coordinate an EV roll-out and renewable power procurement.

Read more: Why South Africa’s EV ambitions are still stuck in low gear 

The City of Cape Town has set its own target of a fully electric public transport fleet by 2050. Golden Arrow’s progress shows it is possible, but whether Johannesburg, Durban or Tshwane can match it remains to be seen. 

Scepticism, cost and the tightrope ahead

The price tag on an electric bus – about R6-million – is hard to swallow compared with R2-million for a diesel equivalent. Range anxiety, scepticism about battery reliability and questions about scaling in a load shedding-prone country remain. Neethling admits to these doubts.

“There’s many people out there that’s hoping for us to fail,” he said. “We often say the cynical view from our side is that the petrochemical companies are sponsoring certain information to be punted out there: ‘It’s going to blow up in flames’, ‘no range’... all those things. It’s a tightrope we’re walking. It’s an absolutely fantastic project and it’s nice to be at the forefront in the country. I think there’s many that are going to follow.”

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At present, there are 60 electric Golden Arrow buses on the road, another 12 in application and 40 en route by ship, Neethling said. He expects 80 to be operational by mid-September and 120 by the end of the year. 

“We’ve got to keep up with the technology around the world,” Pritchard said. “I think Golden Arrow is a real winner in this and so is the City of Cape Town. This site has been viewed by people around the world. We are super-proud of it and it’s a proudly South African electric vehicle charging centre that meets the highest standards in the world.” DM