Austin wires bus stops for power

CapMetro has opened two new park-and-ride facilities in Austin, each equipped with overhead charging equipment designed to keep electric buses on the road longer. The agency announced the sites in June, and they are now operational as part of a push to expand electric bus service.

The Goodnight Ranch and Expo Center terminals serve the Rapid 800 and Rapid 837 routes. At these locations, buses use pantograph-style connectors to draw power from the grid. This method allows vehicles to replenish their batteries at the end of a run, ensuring they have enough range for the return trip without relying solely on depot charging.

The charging network connects to CapMetro’s main bus depot, where partner Camber Charging installed two systems, each with a capacity of 1,440 kilowatts. These systems feed into 48 industrial dispensers, creating a total charging capacity of 2.9 megawatts. The setup is designed to charge up to 48 electric buses simultaneously during overnight hours.

Andy Skabowski, CapMetro’s Chief Operations Officer, stated that the on-route charging strategy extends bus service hours from a typical eight hours to between 20 and 22 hours. He noted that the ability to charge each time the pantograph drops enables the agency to commit to 10-to-15-minute service intervals.

The buses are built on New Flyer’s Xcelsior battery-electric platform. The vehicles produce up to 320 all-electric horsepower. New Flyer indicates the platform can offer up to 660 kilowatt-hours of available battery capacity, though CapMetro did not specify the exact battery size for this fleet. The design provides full torque at zero rpm, a feature suited to the stop-and-go traffic patterns in Austin.

Camber Charging manages preventive maintenance, charger software, and remote diagnostics across the depot and the two new terminals. The agency’s expansion of electric infrastructure aims to support the growing number of zero-emission vehicles in its fleet.