Charging ahead: how the forgotten shuttle is driving decarbonisation

Australia’s transition to net zero will not be driven by a single breakthrough, but by a series of practical innovations that make low-emissions technology easier, cheaper and more accessible for communities to adopt.

That is the thinking behind an NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub-backed project at Macquarie University that is exploring how wireless charging and AI-driven route optimisation could reshape community transport across the state.

Working alongside community transport provider Stryder, researcher Associate Professor Sara Deilami is developing a system that combines wireless charging pads embedded beneath pavement with an AI-powered optimisation app designed specifically for electric shuttles serving local communities. 

The project, titled “Powering E-Shuttles with Optimised Routes and Smart Pavement”, sits squarely within the Hub’s mission of accelerating technologies that can support NSW’s pathway to net zero while delivering practical social and economic benefits. At its core is a deceptively simple proposition: make electric community transport easier to operate, more efficient to run and more accessible for passengers, particularly elderly and mobility-impaired residents who rely heavily on local shuttle services. 

“We are trying to reduce our reliance on petrol-based cars and diesel vehicles and move towards electric shuttles,” Deilami said. “This project has a social impact. It’s about creating something reliable and comfortable for the community.” 

For the NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub, the project represents exactly the kind of early-stage research the organisation was established to support – ambitious, locally led innovation with a clear pathway to real-world deployment and future industry investment. 

(Visual of the shuttle route optimisation app)

Mind the gap 

While wireless charging technology for vehicles is being trialed in parts of Europe, the United States and South Korea, Deilami believes the Macquarie University-led work is among the first Australian projects to explore wireless charging specifically for medium-sized electric shuttles. 

Much of the global focus to date has centered on passenger cars or large electric buses. Deilami’s team instead targeted what she describes as the “middle range”, community transport shuttles used by councils, universities, hospitals and local transport providers. 

“I couldn’t actually find anything related to electric shuttles being wirelessly charged,” she said. “The shuttle space has been neglected.” 

The research emerged from earlier work investigating engineered and magnetised cement materials capable of improving the efficiency of wireless power transfer. The team began experimenting with different material combinations in the laboratory before expanding the concept into a broader transport solution incorporating both charging infrastructure and intelligent route management. 

The project itself has two distinct components:

The first involves developing a wireless charging system using transmitter and receiver coils designed specifically for the shuttle platform. The charging pad prototype has already been built and tested in laboratory conditions, demonstrating the feasibility of transferring power wirelessly through pavement infrastructure. 

The second component is an AI-based optimisation platform that analyses traffic conditions, travel times, battery charge levels, charging station locations and passenger requirements to determine the most efficient route for the shuttle in real time. 

The resulting mobile application, described by Deilami as ‘Google Maps Plus’, has been developed specifically for community transport operations running between Hunters Hill and Macquarie University. 

“It looks at the fastest route, service frequency, passenger comfort and energy consumption,” she said. “We want to minimise travel time and optimise the battery so the shuttle can operate more efficiently.” 

Importantly, the system has been designed with accessibility in mind. Wireless charging eliminates the need for drivers or passengers to physically connect charging cables; a feature Deilami says could significantly improve usability for elderly passengers and people living with disabilities. 

“That gives people confidence and comfort,” she said. “Passengers can rely on the service more often.” 

A growth fund 

A defining feature of the project has been its close collaboration with Stryder, the community transport provider servicing parts of Sydney’s north-west and lower north shore. 

The partnership ensured the research was shaped not simply by theoretical engineering questions, but by the operational realities facing transport providers attempting to electrify their fleets. 

“They were looking at how to move from diesel and petrol-based vehicles to electric shuttles,” Deilami said. “They wanted to make the service more efficient and more reliable for the community.” 

The Hunters Hill corridor was selected specifically because of Stryder’s existing operations supporting hospitals, elderly residents and community facilities in the area. The AI routing system is currently being trialled on shuttle routes connected to the region, with the research team preparing real-world validation testing using the electric shuttle and optimisation app. 

For Deilami, the project also highlights the growing importance of industry-research partnerships in Australia’s clean energy transition. 

The NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub’s seed funding enabled the team to undertake early-stage testing, build prototypes and demonstrate the viability of the concept; work that subsequently helped unlock larger funding opportunities and government collaborations. 

“I can’t thank this funding enough,” she said. “This project was exactly the seed funding needed to help us grow and show what we are capable of.” 

“That first funding allowed us to start running tests in the lab and showcase what we were doing,” Deilami said. “Then through that we were able to attract further government and industry support.” 

The experience underscores the increasingly important role seed funding plays within Australia’s innovation ecosystem, particularly for technologies that require proof-of-concept development before attracting commercial or institutional backing. 

(Behind the scenes in the MQ/Stryder lab and collecting the shuttle to kick off the project)

Driving local manufacturing 

Beyond the technical innovation itself, the project speaks to a broader ambition around sovereign capability and Australia’s role in developing its own decarbonisation technologies rather than importing them from overseas. 

Deilami said many components and technologies associated with wireless charging infrastructure are currently sourced internationally, often at significant cost and with compatibility challenges linked to differing standards. 

“This time I think we don’t need to rely on overseas innovation,” she said. “We can start building this from scratch here.” 

That aspiration aligns closely with Australia’s wider push to strengthen domestic clean technology capability and reduce reliance on imported energy infrastructure as electrification accelerates. 

The long-term vision for the project extends well beyond a single shuttle service. 

If successful, the technology could eventually support charging systems for university transport fleets, airport shuttles, school transport services and potentially larger public transport applications. The underlying wireless charging technology also has possible applications in rail, marine transport and even drone systems. 

For now, however, the project remains focused on proving the concept in a real-world community setting. 

The wireless charging pad prototype has been developed in the laboratory, while the AI routing application is nearing operational testing. Deilami hopes the next phase of funding will allow the team to physically integrate the charging system into the shuttle itself within the next year. 

The broader challenge, she acknowledges, will be industry and public acceptance. 

“We’re not trying to replace existing charging infrastructure,” she said. “This is a complementary technology that gives people another option.” 

But as fuel costs rise, electrification pressures intensify and governments search for practical ways to decarbonise transport networks, projects like this increasingly illustrate how local innovation could help solve global problems. 

For the NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub, that combination of technical ambition, industry collaboration and community benefit is precisely the point. 

And for a project that began as a modest seed-funded experiment, the road ahead may now be considerably larger than a single shuttle route through Sydney’s north-west.

 

A/Prof. Sara Deilami is a full time academic in Electrical Engineering, Associate Directior of Smart Green Cities Research Centre and active member of Transforming Energy Markets Research Centre at Macquarie University as well as the Chair of IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) in NSW Section. To discuss Industry projects contact Sara on sara.deilami@mq.edu.au.