High-powered DC charging infrastructure is to be built at three strategic bus depot locations in Devon - Barnstaple, Torquay and Exeter - by Stagecoach South West and e-fleet solutions provider VEV. The sites will also be available as ‘Community Charging Hubs’ with high-speed charging and Stagecoach told FCZ it is currently working through a ‘business to business’ proposition – dubbed Stagecoach Chargd - to offer these services to freight users.

Stagecoach South West has appointed VEV to design, build and manage the charging network, which will deliver a combined capacity of 7,200kW. Stagecoach South West said it would enable the transition to a fully electric fleet across North Devon and Torbay.

In March, Stagecoach South West and Devon County Council announced the start of the installation for the bus fleet at Exeter’s Matford Park and Ride site, which will have 10 chargers. Construction has now started at the firm’s Torquay depot, which will have 27 x 150kW high-power chargers sites. Barnstaple will have 11 charging points.

All charging infrastructure will be managed through VEV’s smart charging and digital energy management platform, VEVC-IQ, which will monitor and optimise power usage, charging scheduling and charger status across all three sites.

Peter Knight, Stagecoach South West MD, said: “The comprehensive charging infrastructure across Barnstaple, Torquay and Exeter will form the backbone of our electric fleet operations, supporting our goal of having the full electric fleet of 110 buses operational by early 2026.”

Janet is currently the editor of New Power (www.newpower.info), a monthly report and database on UK power sector development and the UK’s evolving energy industry. She has been a journalist covering the power and energy sector for 25 years, covering technology, policy and politics as editor of magazines including Power Engineering, Asian Electricity, Middle East Electricity and Utility Week.View full Profile

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