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ELECTRIFICATION OF BUSES

Foothill Transit: Behind the Scenes of Bus Electrification

Foothill Transit’s first-in-the-nation launch of fast-charge electric bus technology in California’s San Gabriel Valley was a distant eight years ago. Much has changed since then. The agency has expanded its initial pilot fleet of three buses to 30, and its once cautiously optimistic pilot program has become a fully-fledged commitment to all-electric operation by 2030.

Much has been, and yet more is still, to be learned. Operating an electric fleet is a complex process that expands and contracts with the size of the agency and ­service area. There are, nevertheless, some universal considerations for embarking on the electric operations road.Pilot programs are essential—testing a small number of vehicles on routes that best match your core ridership profiles. Such pilots can provide insights on how electric buses perform in traffic, at stops, in varying weather conditions and topography, and will give you a realistic idea of actual range and capability.

Bus operator driving habits can also have a significant impact on range, making detailed driver training essential for an efficient run. And in warmer climes, the air conditioning unit can use substantial amounts of available battery energy to keep things comfortable on a hot day—all of which brings us to energy management.

Foothill Transit operates seven electric buses on Line 291—a 17-mile route with heavy local ridership that serves schools and major medical centers. The buses have a range of 35 miles and charge at a mid-route charging station every hour for approximately five to 10 minutes.

The agency pays an average of 18 cents per kWh for charging, which includes both usage and demand charges. Demand charges can constitute as much as 25 percent of the utility bill. By operating more buses on a specific route, we can lower the impact of demand charge because the cost is distributed across the number of buses operating on that route. Fewer buses charging raises the impact of demand charging. This will vary from utility to utility, so partnership is key.

The Foothill Transit fleet of electric buses includes 16 fast-charge, in-route buses and 14 extended-range buses. In-route charged buses operate only on routes that have a charging station positioned in the field. Those stations are off-street installations to avoid being struck by tall vehicles (clearance height is 11’ 9”). Sometimes the agency must acquire land to house an off-street charging location. We have found installing charging stations at transit centers ideal but limiting.

Building with redundancy in mind is also key—a significant consideration when in-route charging stations can cost close to $1 million, not including regular maintenance costs. Therefore, extended-range vehicles—that can operate beyond 100 miles on a single charge—with in-depot charging capability are a better fit for our service and maintenance profile.

To save space, Foothill Transit has selected overhead charging units rather than pedestal mounted plug-in chargers. When to charge is also a clear operational choice: whenever the bus is in the yard. Spreading utility use throughout the day minimizes demand charge and maximizes operations flexibility and responsiveness.

The easiest part of electrifying a fleet is buying the buses. The hardest part is infrastructure, route planning and operational impacts—all of which require a deep dive into how you run the service and some of the limitations and advantages that electric buses can present.

Plan for fleet growth by carefully studying the routes you want to electrify. Start with your shorter routes and expand as range and infrastructure allow.

Foothill Transit’s next major step is expanding in-depot charging before making any more bus purchases, which requires outside expertise and utility partnership—not to mention a strengthened commitment to meeting our regional, national and global environmental challenges, all while providing a state-of-the-art customer experience.

To learn more about Foothill Transit’s fleet electrification process, contact Roland Cordero.

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