Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Midvale Bus Garage Battery Electric Bus Feasibility

In 2018 Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) made the largest purchase of battery electric buses of any transit agency on the East Coast. To prepare for further expansion of their fleet and the “SEPTAinable” program for zero-emission technology, SEPTA tasked Burns to determine the feasibility of adding new charging station infrastructure at the agency’s largest bus depot.

Burns evaluated the 240,000 SF canopy within the Midvale Bus Facility, producing recommendations for retrofits maximizing the number of buses that could be charged, while minimizing disruption to current operations the fleet. The study included both the initial pilot of 10 busses and the final build-out to replace all 320 diesel busses currently operating out of Midvale.

Burns provided evaluation and recommendations for:

Vehicle charging technologies, such as plug-in charging, pantograph charging, inductive charging, and hybrid systems.
Multiple schematic charging approaches that each provide the necessary power and resiliency.
Methods to accommodate fleet maintenance, operational constraints and logistics of the proposed battery electric bus fleet.
Maximum loading capacity of the canopy to support suspended or ceiling-mounted charging equipment.

Location

Philadelphia, PA

Client

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)

Industry

Railroad + Transit

Expertise

Energy + Carbon Reduction

Life Safety

Right-of-Way Facilities

Structural

Zero Emission Mobility