A Southern Highlands industrial site has been earmarked for an electric vehicle manufacturing facility.
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Nexport managing director Luke Todd has publicly confirmed the acquisition of land at Moss Vale.
The news comes after the NSW government released a report into electric buses in regional and metropolitian public transport networks.
"Some exciting things are happening within Nexport, including the recent acquisition of 51 wonderful hectares of industrial land in Moss Vale," Mr Todd said on LinkedIn.
"In 2021, we are building the first 7-star green rated production plant, to produce zero-emission buses, trucks, and cars in NSW.
"Zero-emission transport products, produced in a high capacity, purpose-built, carbon-neutral manufacturing facility right here in NSW."
Mr Todd did not disclose the location of the land and the Southern Highland News has contacted him for more details.
The NSW government's recent report was based on an inquiry into the benefits of electric buses as well as the opportunities and challenges of transitioning bus fleets in NSW to electric.
"Cities around the world are moving their public transport bus fleets to electric," Chair Robyn Preston MP wrote.
"The shift to electric vehicles has many potential benefits, including better air quality, a reduction in emissions and lower noise pollution.
"A stepped process will help with planning and ensure the right type of electric bus and charging infrastructure is chosen for each bus region.
"As part of this approach, Transport for NSW plans to trial electric buses in a number of metropolitan bus regions.
"Two trials have already been held at Nowra and Sydney's Leichhardt depot, providing useful data on the performance and capacity of electric buses."
The report stated electric buses would cost more to purchase than diesel buses, however long-term savings in relation to fuel, parts and maintenance "mean they are cheaper over their lifetime".
Concerns were raised about the quiet operation of electric buses and the potential risks it posed to pedestrians and road users.
"The committee was concerned to hear that passengers and pedestrians with a disability are especially vulnerable to injury if they can't hear an approaching bus," Ms Preston said,
"To address this issue, we concluded that electric buses should be fitted with automatic noise emitters. These alert systems are required in many countries that have introduced electric buses."
A safety campaign was suggested to raise awareness of electric buses on roads.
The report said Nexport planned to partner with Chinese manufacturer BYD to set up a manufacturing and assembly facility in Nowra.
More to come.