The bus charging depots are to be used by Stagecoach, which plans to charge its fleet of 150 electric buses there. Stagecoach will also pilot a B2B charging hub in Aberdeen “to maximise utilisation of charge points by offering them to third parties when buses are out of depot.” Should the pilot prove successful, the practise will be expanded to the charging hubs in Aberdeen and Perth as well.
VEV’s charging infrastructure will benefit from solar power installed at the deports in Chesterfield, Leamington and Nuneaton, which is to reduce reliance on the national grid, as well as being forecast to save over £1 million in its lifetime.
For the charging management software, VEV is providing its VEV-IQ platform, which enables smart charging and energy management for the infrastructure.
“We’re delighted to support Stagecoach’s sustainability goals. Our collaboration marks a notable step towards sustainable public transport in the UK. By combining innovative technology with strategic infrastructure, we’re creating a more environmentally friendly and efficient bus network,” said Mike Nakrani, CEO of VEV.
VEV’s sister company, VGMobility also recently installed a similar facility in Bogotá, Columbia, which spans across three depots, and charges over 400 electric buses using 21 360KW DC superchargers with 8 connectors per charger. For this project, the operators also visited Bogotá to learn from the operation, as Claire Miles, CEO of Stagecoach explained: “I was particularly impressed by the clean, quiet electrified depot and the scale of the operation. Seeing first-hand the power of digital technology to run a huge 100% electric fleet was enlightening. The depth of VEV’s expertise in this field was a key draw for Stagecoach, and we’re pleased to work with them on our electrification projects, leveraging their global experience to drive our sustainability goals forward.”