CapMetro's Camber Charging Network Extends Electric Bus Shifts to 22 Hours
Two new overhead pantograph chargers at Goodnight Ranch and Expo Center let buses top up during service rather than idling 8 hours at a depot plug.
By Adewale Rousseau ·
CapMetro's charging network can now keep 48 electric buses plugged in at once overnight, delivering 2.9 MW of capacity across its depot and two new terminals. Camber Charging supplied and installed two 1,440 kW charging systems at the main bus depot, which connect to 48 industrial dispensers.
The agency opened Goodnight Ranch and Expo Center, park-and-ride facilities first announced in June, to serve the Rapid 800 and Rapid 837 routes. Each terminal is fitted with overhead pantograph chargers positioned at the end of the line, where buses pause between runs.
CapMetro Chief Operations Officer and Executive VP Andy Skabowski said the equipment changes how long a vehicle can stay on the road. "Instead of a typical bus holding 8 hours of charging, on-route charging takes that out to 20 to 22 hours," he said. "Every time that pantograph drops, we charge that bus. That's what makes a commitment like (every) 10- to 15-minute service possible."
Buses on the two routes run on New Flyer's Xcelsior battery-electric transit platform. New Flyer states the platform can provide up to 660 kWh of available capacity, though battery specifications were not part of the project release. The vehicles produce up to 320 all-electric horsepower and deliver full torque at 0 rpm.
Camber Charging supplies preventive maintenance, charger and energy management software, and remote diagnostics across the depot, Goodnight Ranch, and Expo Center. The two facilities serve the Rapid 800 and Rapid 837 lines.
Source: Electrek
