SSE and Go-Ahead London help 330 buses turn from red to green via innovative EV infrastructure

SSE Enterprise is helping thousands of London commuters travel by electric bus after installing hundreds of charging points across the capital.

The business has delivered six projects for four bus operators – including Go-Ahead London – totalling almost £7million over the last three years.

In total SSE Enterprise will deliver more than 330 electric bus charging points in London by April 2020 as the capital’s iconic red bus fleet transitions from diesel to other power sources over the coming years.

SSE Enterprise’s work included Go-Ahead London’s ground-breaking Waterloo Garage development, which became the first, and currently only, all-electric bus garage in the country, complete with 43 charging points in 2016.

Since that time, Go-Ahead London has safely operated around seven million emission-free electric kilometres from three of its 16 bus garages.

Kevin Welstead, Sector Director EVs for SSE Enterprise, said: “We are proud to enable public transport to embrace the EVs transition which is key to achieving the UK Government’s Net Zero target by 2050, as well as SSE group’s own goal of helping accommodate 10 million electric vehicles in Great Britain by investing in electricity network flexibility and infrastructure.

“With increasing demands being placed on the electricity grid, our holistic approach providing an integrated platform to optimise energy load and generation, will ensure local authorities can cut toxic emissions in the most efficient and least disruptive way. Our partnership with Go Ahead is the bedrock of our drive into delivering innovative solutions to help drive decarbonise our transport.”

Richard Harrington, Go-Ahead London’s Engineering Director, said: “Electric buses have proved their worth in real world conditions, with superb reliability and range.  We currently operate around 110 electric buses from four locations and the new year will see an additional 65 electric buses introduced into our fleet.  Not only are the vehicles popular with drivers and passengers, they are helping to improve London’s air quality.

“SSE were a crucial partner in delivering the all-important charging infrastructure and power for what has since become a multi-award-winning site.  There was no reference guide when we embarked upon this scheme and SSE’s ‘can do’ attitude was key to assisting to deliver the project on-time and to budget.”

As part of its collaboration with Go Ahead London, SSE Enterprise has also developed a pioneering pilot project to create a ‘Community EV Charge Hub,’ inside a bus depot. This can be done by utilising the onsite private electrical network to provide rapid charging for private cars and taxis when the main buses are out on their routes.

Waterloo remains the UK’s only all-electric bus garage and it has successfully operated approximately three million emission-free miles since 2016, utilising 43 on-site charging points.  The garage continues to attract interest from a diverse range of stakeholders and it recently secured the world’s most prestigious environmental accolade in the form of an Energy Globe Award for sustainability.

The wider SSE Group has also pledged to switch 3,500 of the its own fleet to electric, as well as installing additional charging points for its employees to use in various offices, depots, and other locations.

SSE Enterprise has joined the Government-backed Go Ultra Low campaign to show it is fully engaged in helping to deliver the infrastructure needed for an EV future. It will be particularly focused on working with the Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV) on the challenges for EV fleets – where SSE Enterprise is increasingly proving its leadership.