Utility Consolidated Edison (Con Edison) honored The Mobility House and the New York City School Bus Umbrella Services (NYCSBUS) with the Most Innovative Interconnection Award in June for providing the necessary power for an electric school bus infrastructure project in the Bronx.
The Mobility House used its automatic load management to provide the first implementation of an oversubscribed site within Con Edison’s service territory.
An electric vehicle charging and energy solutions company, The Mobility House worked with NYCSBUS and Con Edison to identify the available power at the Zerega Avenue depot. Using its proprietary charging simulation tool, The Mobility House determined that 14 electric buses could reliably operate on only 80 kW, the maximum charging load limit ConEd could provide to the site.
The automated load management, or ALM, feature of The Mobility House’s ChargePilot reportedly accelerates the rate of fleet electrification and at the same time reduces costs. The Mobility House website states that ALM offers, “fleet electrification project managers a flexible, cost-effective, and expedited energization process by mitigating the need for new infrastructure from the utility.”
By installing ALM, NYCSBUS was able to safely install 14 electric bus chargers, one per bus, totaling 268 kW of nameplate capacity on the 80 kW limit.
“Without the use of ALM, the Zerega depot would have been limited to charging only four buses on its 80 kW connection,” a press release states. “The use of the ALM function of The Mobility House’s industry-leading charge management system, ChargePilot, allowed NYCSBUS to maximize their existing utility infrastructure, avoid the cost of a utility upgrade and accelerate the installation of their electric bus charging equipment.”
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Matt Berlin, CEO of NYCSBUS, said via the statement that the “project is a testament to what can be achieve when innovative technology meets determined collaboration,” he said. “We are not only advancing our commitment to sustainability but also improving the daily lives of countless students and communities in the Bronx. We are immensely proud of this recognition and look forward to expanding our eclectic bus fleet further.”
It is the second award the partners have earned, following the 2024 Transportation Power Player Award from Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), which was awarded in May. The NYCSBUS and Mobility House for the same project, “Electrifying School Buses in the Bronx” put 25 electric school buses into service for the community with advanced smart charging technology and educational benefits for school bus drivers and districts across the region.
Fourteen of these buses are located at the NYCSBUS Zerega Avenue Depot. Other project team members include CALSTART, Bronx Community College, New York League of Conversation Voters and South Bronx Unite.
