11 rapid electric bus chargers have been installed at First Bus’ Caledonia Depot as part of a partnership with SP Energy Networks.
It forms part of a £1.5 million investment from SP Energy Networks’ Green Economy Fund to enable the decarbonisation of First Glasgow’s buses, with this having funded two new all-electric buses, which were launched in 2020, alongside the additional infrastructure needed to connect the new rapid chargers.
The completion of phase one is to be followed by the arrival of 22 electric buses at the depot ahead of COP26 in November.
In order to provide the additional capacity needed for phase two – which is to see an additional 69 rapid chargers installed – a new £6 million substation funded through the Green Recovery investment scheme is to be constructed on land provided by First Bus near the Caledonia Depot by the end of 2022.
This reinforcement is to create additional headroom to ensure local businesses, amenities and housing can decarbonise the transport system without concerns over capacity and security of supply.
First Bus is aiming to be able to charge up to 300 electric buses at the Caledonia Depot in the future. It announced its plans for the UK’s largest electric vehicle (EV) charging hub at the depot in June, with the installation of 162 150kW chargers expected to be completed across the next 18 months.