CapMetro Terminals: Overhead Chargers Enable 22-Hour Electric Bus Shifts

CapMetro opened two new park-and-ride facilities on October 23 to support its expanding electric bus network.

The Goodnight Ranch and Expo Center terminals, first announced in June, now serve the Rapid 800 and Rapid 837 routes.

These sites feature overhead pantograph chargers that allow buses to replenish batteries at the end of each line.

This on-route charging capability extends total daily service time from eight hours to between 20 and 22 hours.

CapMetro Chief Operations Officer Andy Skabowski explained that the system enables consistent 10 to 15 minute headways.

He stated, 'Instead of a typical bus holding 8 hours of charging, on-route charging takes that out to 20 to 22 hours.'

Skabowski added, 'Every time that pantograph drops, we charge that bus. That's what makes a commitment like (every) 10- to 15-minute service possible.'

The charging network begins at the agency's main depot, where partner Camber Charging installed two 1,440 kW systems.

These units connect to 48 industrial dispensers, creating a total capacity of 2.9 MW.

The depot setup allows up to 48 electric buses to charge simultaneously overnight.

The terminals extend this infrastructure to the route endpoints, eliminating range concerns for return trips.

Buses operating on these routes are built on the Xcelsior battery-electric platform by New Flyer of Canada. New Flyer indicates the platform offers up to 660 kWh of available capacity. The vehicles produce up to 320 all-electric horsepower with full torque at 0 rpm. This power delivery is suited to Austin's stop-and-go traffic patterns. Camber Charging provides preventive maintenance, energy management software, and remote diagnostics for all three sites.