UK’s Largest Bus Depot Charges Electric Buses in Four Hours
Today, rapid charging expert Heliox has announced that its latest partnership with First Bus Glasgow will create the UK’s largest EV charging hub, and has seen e-fleets fully charged in four hours, in what is a national first. The partnership will also bring 22 new charging depots to the city ahead of COP26 next month.
As Phase One of the project completes, First Bus is now able to fully charge its buses in four hours, thanks to rapid charging technology from Heliox. The project has so far seen the installation 11 advanced rapid 150kW dual cable charging units, and will see a further 150 electric buses introduced over the next 18 months, with the depot designed to accommodate up to 300 e-buses.
The rapid charging stations provided by Heliox are controlled via smart charging software that ensures power is used in the most efficient way, while minimising downtime on the national grid at peak times.
Michael Coljin, CEO of Heliox, said:As we have seen, the future of e-mobility is built on rapid charging, and ensuring the charging infrastructure is in place to make this a possibility must be a priority. Our partnership with First Bus to bring versatile, convenient charging to the city of Glasgow puts us in a unique position ahead of COP26 later this year, to make a significant contribution to the discussions at the event, as well as positively impacting fleet owners across the UK. Our unique charging offering ensures fleet owners are able to effectively deploy and manage their e-fleets while serving cities of the future.
About First Bus
First Bus is one of the UK’s largest bus operators – and the partner of choice for innovative and sustainable transport. Leading the transition to a low-carbon future, First Bus has committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035 and to not purchasing any new diesel buses after December 2022. Working proactively with local authority partners, First Bus is proud to be making a positive impact on air quality, tackling congestion and improving customer experience. Making journeys easier for customers, First Bus was the first national bus operator to accept contactless card payments across all services and the First Bus app is voted ‘best in class’ amongst UK bus operators. First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
This article was originally published by Heliox Energy.
