TUK London Bus partners with Siemens for electrification solution – Bus & Coach Buyer

Transport UK London Bus has introduced a fleet of electric double-deckers to its busy 63 route with the help of Siemens.

Designed to support the 29-strong EV fleet, the operator developed its Walworth depot in London to incorporate electric routes with power infrastructure, maintenance and charging facilities. The company partnered with Siemens and Siemens Financial Services to acquire the total solution, from initial consultancy, through to depot redesign and retrofit, charging infrastructure implementation and optimisation, software management systems, and ongoing maintenance and optimisation.

TUK needed to find a charging solution for its limited footprint Walworth depot that could provide enough power to keep buses running during the day, with limited time to ‘top up’ and then provide significant charging power to charge overnight. The maximum charging time available for the buses on this busy route is around seven hours.

In order to make this solution financially manageable for TUK, Siemens Financial Services constructed a tailored, ‘smart’ financing package – embracing consultancy, technology, software, grid connection and ongoing maintenance. Structured across 14 years in line with the company’s contract with TfL, the financing arrangement eliminates the need for capital to be tied up in the solution, an important liquidity advantage for TUK. The financing solution was also flexed to be sensitive to TUK cash-flow requirements, with a low-start profile ramping up over time, aligning payments with benefits for the bus operator.

The Siemens solution for TUK was an end-to-end depot electrification. This comprised:

• Consultancy and depot simulation to identify opportunities to install charging solutions in the depot, while minimising space used.
• Installation of 34 150kW Industrial Rapid Chargers to enable sufficient charging levels were achieved over the short periods of time that buses returned to depot. This was further supported by depot management software Depotfinity, which automatically optimises charging sessions within a limited headroom, reducing energy usage, maintenance costs and power levels.
• A SIVACON S8 LV board, LV busbar and harmonic filtering to ensure the relative power needs of the depot and charging stations are met.
• A bespoke 14-year service level agreement and warranty to ensure both current and future needs at the site are met, and any charging issues are resolved quickly.