Madison Metro (Metro), a transit agency serving the metropolitan area of Madison, Wisconsin, contracted with the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) to provide support services on an on-call basis for its deployment of sixty-two 60’ New Flyer battery electric buses (BEBs) to service Metro’s all-new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines.
The project kicked off in November 2022. Initially, CTE provided technical advice regarding Metro’s charger procurement plans. CTE recommended that Metro purchase fewer depot chargers than it originally planned given that its plan already included many on-route chargers. CTE found that reducing the number of depot chargers would reduce costs and streamline the project’s scope without interfering with BEB operations. CTE also advised Metro to procure mobile charging units.
In Q4 2022, CTE reviewed Metro’s Request for Proposals (RFP) for the procurement of its charging infrastructure and shared it with 19 potential vendors. The RFP was awarded in March 2023.
In August 2023, CTE began providing project management, oversight, and technical advisory services for the deployment of the BRT lines’ charging equipment, which consists of 12 plug-in and 4 pantograph chargers from ABB and Heliox, all installed by New Flyer Infrastructure Solutions. CTE’s work has included schedule and deliverable tracking, meeting documentation, design and specification reviews, and partner engagement. The charging infrastructure is currently due to be commissioned by the end of August 2024.
In Q1 2024, CTE was awarded three additional tasks including a Risk Assessment, Bus and Charger Performance Validation, and Workforce Development. CTE’s validation work kicked off in June 2024 and has consisted of validation testing plan development and project management. CTE will execute its validation testing plan in August 2024 and will deliver results and a report by September 2024. CTE’s testing will include bus fuel economy and range analyses, bus power load documentation, charger performance data collection, and asset stress testing.
Metro’s BRT line will commence operations in late September 2024.
