The University of Johannesburg has set the record by becoming the first university to unveil electric buses.
Based in Johannesburg, UJ rolled out two full electric buses which are already in use by the varsity.
Per a media statement, the higher education institution said the buses are already ferrying students across its campuses.
The buses are part of the university’s plans to reduce its carbon emissions. The project started more than 18 months ago, explained Special Projects Advisor Professor André Nel.
“We’ve always had a strong focus on sustainability issues. After implementing large numbers of solar panels, one of the next questions was how can we further make UJ sustainable? After some research, the obvious answer was how we were going to cut our carbon emissions in one area, and that area was transport.”
According to the institution’s chief operations officer Dr. Mpoti Ralephata, he revealed that solar accounts for 15% of the university’s energy needs, and this is enough to power the buses.
“We will have to have load shedding for more than five hours a night to affect overnight charging,” Ralephata said noting that load shedding will affect charging at night.
BusinessTech Africa understands It takes at least five and a half hours to fully charge the buses from a plug point either on campus or at the bus depot.
The buses can then cover up to 350km after fully charging. This is more than enough power required for the bus route, which is less than 200km.
Members of the university’s executive leadership, including the vice-chancellor and principal, designate professor Letlhokwa Mpedi, got to test out the buses. Mpedi added that the buses are an example of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in action.
“They are part of a legacy that we want to leave for future generations. As a testament to our position as a leader, we are the first university to make use of EV buses for commercial purposes,” he said.
