Austin’s main public bus depot just got 48 new EV charging ports

Camber has delivered an EV fast charging system to CapMetro, Austin’s public transit agency, for its main bus depot – here’s why that’s a big milestone.

The EV charging system delivers 2.9 more megawatts (MW) of EV charging power to Austin’s public bus depot. Camber supplied and installed two 1440 kW Camber charging systems and 48 Camber “industrial dispensers” that can charge simultaneously.

Camber, formerly the now bankrupt Proterra’s charging business (Proterra was auctioned off to Phoenix Motor), is providing maintenance and operations, and it expects to provide CapMetro with its proprietary charger and energy management software, as well as remote diagnostic tools to manage energy costs and lower the public fleet’s total cost of ownership.

“With support from Camber, we have made tremendous strides toward achieving our vision to expand and improve the public transit system in Central Texas, allowing us to open up new, entirely electric routes,” said Dave Kubicek, executive vice president of CapMetro. “Austin has long been at the forefront of EV adoption, and we’re committed to sustaining that leadership while ensuring our citizens reach their destinations reliably and efficiently.”

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CapMetro committed to a $255 million purchase of 197 electric buses in fall 2021 – the largest procurement of EVs in US history, according to CapMetro officials. But besides Proterra’s bankruptcy, it’s run into other obstacles, such as supply chain issues, inflation, and infrastructure rollout.

“The hardest part of a battery-electric bus turns out to be its infrastructure,” CapMetro President and CEO Dottie Watkins said during a board meeting on June 24, 2024.

In addition to dispensing power at CapMetro’s primary bus depot, Camber’s EV chargers will also deliver on-route power and range extension so that buses return to the depot with a higher state of charge to reduce peak power demand at the central site. With on-route charging, fleet operators benefit from higher vehicle availability and reduced downtime, ensuring consistent service for travelers.

In November 2024, CapMetro announced that it was putting 46 brand-new Proterra electric buses in storage for at least a year, partly so the buses’ technical bugs could be worked out, but also so that it could roll out more charging infrastructure to ensure a smoother transition to an electric fleet.

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