FIRST Bus is now able to fully charge its electric buses in four hours at what is set to be the UK’s largest Electric Vehicle (EV) charging hub.

Glasgow’s Caledonia bus depot has reached a milestone with the installation of 11 advanced rapid 150kW dual cable charging units.

This first phase of work has been completed ahead of a new batch of 22 electric buses arriving at the depot ahead of COP26.

Duncan Cameron, Interim Managing Director for First Bus in Scotland, said: "Locally, at First Glasgow, we have led the way in the city toward the decarbonisation of public transport with the adoption of the country’s first Low Emission Zone and now we are once again raising the bar with state-of-the-art rapid charging that has the potential to change the game for the transition to Electric transport across the whole city.

"We are proud to unveil our Caledonia depot charging station ahead of COP26 which has the potential to charge a double decker bus in just four hours."

With phased completion for the remainder of the work scheduled to take place across the next 12 months, the depot has been designed to accommodate and charge up to 300 EV buses on site - and will see the introduction of 150 electric buses over the next 18 months.

Each rapid charging station will be controlled via smart charging software to ensure that power is used in the most efficient way.

With an additional 69 rapid chargers to be installed in Phase Two, Caledonia depot will soon be able to charge 162 vehicles at one time.

Glasgow Times: Electric buses charging at night

Following completion, the adapted depot will have the capability to charge 89% of the depot’s electric bus fleet at the same time using smart charging software.

Minister for Transport Graeme Dey said: “The climate leadership that First Bus has demonstrated is significant, having invested more than £35 million for this facility in addition to the £28m offered through our Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme.

“Looking at the scale of ambition demonstrated at the Caledonia depot, it’s clear that a zero-emission bus network is much closer than we might think.”

The work of SP Energy Networks, the electricity network owner and operator for central and southern Scotland, has been vital to First Bus’ transition to a zero carbon fleet as it has provided the additional electrical capacity required to connect the new bus charging infrastructure at the depot.

Part of this work has included a £6 million investment in a new substation, constructed on land provided by First Bus, near the Caledonia depot by the end of 2022.

Frank Mitchell, Chief Executive of SP Energy Networks, said: “With more than a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions coming from transport, decarbonising this sector is vital if we are to deliver on government Net Zero targets.

"And our electricity networks have a critical role when it comes to the delivery of ambitious Net Zero plans across Scotland like those announced by First Bus – they are the key to making this happen.

"With Glasgow hosting COP26 in just over a month, the eyes of the world will be on us and we have a fantastic opportunity to showcase some of the work we are doing with key transport partners like First Bus to support the global campaign against climate change."