GoRaleigh Fleet Electrification Pilot
IBI Group provided transit fleet electrification services to the City of Raleigh’s public transportation system, GoRaleigh, to assess and modify their existing infrastructure to accommodate battery-electric buses. Once complete, the facility will mark a sustainable transition in North Carolina’s transportation infrastructure to a zero-emission bus fleet.
Client
GoRaleighLocation
Raleigh, NC
Implementing green transportation infrastructure for a sustainable, efficient future
North Carolina’s public transportation system, GoRaleigh, is working toward meeting the City’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by leading a fleet electrification pilot. IBI Group’s Transit Fleet Electrification practice is providing fleet assessment and transition services to support battery electric buses (BEBs) and on-site charging.
The facility has been retrofitted to support battery electric buses while maintaining its capacity to support the fleet’s existing diesel-operated buses. During the assessment phase of work, our experts considered the facility’s limitations, the bus system’s services, and its charging requirements based on sophisticated BEB energy usage models for GoRaleigh’s service blocks.
In 2018, we designed a new compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel station to accommodate GoRaleigh’s new fleet of CNG buses, which are now serving as a bridge technology to support the City’s transit needs as it transitions to a zero-emission fleet. Our design included facility modifications to accommodate lighter-than-air fuel, which poses less of an environmental threat as it disperses quickly when released. Our design services also included fuel management system integration, building automation controls, data communications with the City’s network and coordination with utility providers.
The updated BEB charging infrastructure design provides direction on installation and the utility grid upgrades required to support the pilot’s five buses. In addition, we’ve provided future proof guidance on the infrastructure changes needed to expand the City’s zero-emission bus fleet. Following the approval of our design plans, we provided management services for the procurement, installation, and testing of the BEB chargers and their supporting electrical infrastructure. As the pilot operates, we will continue to support the deployment of the real-time charging operations management system.
Once complete, the pilot will provide a roadmap for large-scale fleet electrification, including the hardware, software and infrastructure requirements.
