SSE Enterprise has delivered six projects for four bus operators, including for Go-Ahead London. In the capital, this equates to 330 electric bus charging points.
These projects included the Waterloo Garage development, the first and currently only all-electric bus garage in the UK that consists of 43 charging points.
Since its construction in 2016, Go-Ahead London has operated seven million kilometres worth of emission free journeys from the garage.
Kevin Welstead, sector director EVs for SSE Enterprise, said the company was “proud” to support the EV transition in public transport to help reach net zero.
“With increasing demands being placed on the electricity grid, our holistic approach providing an integrated platform to optimise energy load and generation, will ensure local authorities can cut toxic emissions in the most efficient and least disruptive way. Our partnership with Go-Ahead is the bedrock of our drive into delivering innovative solutions to help drive decarbonise our transport.”
Working with Go-Ahead London, SSE is also helping to develop a Community EV charge hub, a pilot project that would allow private cars and taxis to charge within the bus depot when the main buses are out on their routes.
In total, SSE’s electric bus infrastructure projects have totaled around £7 million over the last three years.
Richard Harrington, Go-Ahead London’s engineering director, said electric buses have proved their worth and have “superb reliability and range”, with the company to introduce 65 new electric buses to its fleet, which already has 110 electric buses.
“SSE were a crucial partner in delivering the all-important charging infrastructure and power for what has since become a multi-award-winning site. There was no reference guide when we embarked upon this scheme and SSE’s ‘can do’ attitude was key to assisting to deliver the project on-time and to budget.”
SSE has joined the Go Ultra Low campaign, helping to roll out EV infrastructure. As part of the scheme Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced a £4 million investment into charging points as part of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles’ (OLEV) Go Ultra Low City Scheme in December.