Kempower delivers Australia’s first pantograph-down electric bus chargers
Brookvale Bus Depot, which is owned by Transport for NSW and operated by Keolis, is being upgraded with one key goal in mind: the electrification of 229 diesel buses.For many bus operators, electrification may simply be a case of installing new charging towers or expanding existing facilities. However, the Brookvale depot faced a number of constraints when it came to electrification. The depot is short on space, meaning traditional plug-in chargers weren’t an option. Additionally, the depot requires multiple bus OEMs to be accommodated; backup generators to ensure zero charging downtime; plus support for a high-capacity 5 MVA grid connection.It’s for this reason that Brookvale turned to pantograph-down chargers; Australia’s first. JET Charge, Kempower’s local sales partner, sourced the charging equipment and provided ‘system integration’ expertise, while Downer EDI Engineering led as principal contractor. Thirteen 450kW Kempower Power Units have now been paired with 850A pantograph-down chargers, enabling the depot to support a large fleet of zero-emission buses from OEMs like Custom Denning, Yutong, and Foton.Kempower states that the project faced a ‘new level’ of complexity due to the lack of a ‘local example’, saying that the project ‘required a comprehensive design and testing programme to ensure smooth delivery’. A complete charging system was delivered by air freight to Custom Denning’s manufacturing site for integration testing prior to deployment; the final installation now promises up to 99.9 per cent uptime, thanks partly to the depot’s new CORE Max load management system. This features a newly developed I/O expander to deliver “real-time monitoring of high-voltage protection devices and dynamic adjustment of charging loads, ensuring safe operation while maximising available power”.The completed project means that Brookvale is now the first fully operational pantograph-down charging depot in Australia, and is expected to serve as a model for future electric bus depot projects under NSW’s Zero Emission Bus Transition Plan.kempower.com
