A fleet of five electric buses are now in operation from a West Ham bus garage in east London, following the installation of a new EV charging solution by UK Power Networks Services.
The power infrastructure business, which includes EV consultancy, design, installation and maintenance solutions, worked with bus operator Stagecoach to install power distribution and 80kW charge points that will power a new fleet of fully electric zero-emission buses.
The buses will serve route 323 from Canning Town to Mile End, which also serves a number of large local schools including Bow School and St Paul’s Way Trust School.
UK Power Networks Services’ solution will charge the electric buses overnight and will continually monitor the amount of power available at the garage.
According to the company, a night-time charging approach will reduce costs for the bus garage, as it will be able to draw its maximum power requirement between 11pm and 6am when local electricity demand is low and electricity prices are cheaper.
The electric buses will operate within one of 12 Low Emission Bus Zones, introduced by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, in 2018 to tackle air pollution hotspots in the city and represent a further expansion of what is one of Europe’s largest electric bus fleets.
Philip Heathcote, head of markets at UK Power Networks Services, said: “This project is another signal of the capital’s intent for all buses to be zero-emission by 2037.
“We are delighted to play a key role in ensuring electric buses can take to the road and provide the area with a clean and sustainable mode of public transport.”
