Burns & McDonnell Working with Transit Agency to Develop an Electrification Road Map to Transform Depots for an Electrified Fleet

Burns & McDonnell announced it was selected to develop an electrification road map for Foothill Transit, allowing the environmentally friendly transit agency to convert to a 100 percent electric bus fleet by 2030. The electrification road map will provide a conceptual plan to incrementally build out the infrastructure needed at the depots to support an electrified fleet. 

"We're thrilled to assist Foothill Transit in meeting its zero-emission goals by 2030 as they transport nearly 15 million passengers per year to various locations throughout Southern California," says Renita Mollman, vice president and general manager for Burns & McDonnell in California. "With an integrated team of consultants, engineers, estimators and construction professionals, we bring intuitional knowledge, past project experience and an understanding of client needs for the transportation electrification market." 

Burns & McDonnell will provide consultative planning and conceptual engineering services for the transit agency, partnering with Greenlots, AMMA Transit Planning and ebusplan. The project to electrify the transit bus fleet consists of the following stages:

• Analysis of bus routes and operations, which includes energy consumption modeling to inform charging needs. 
• Evaluation of commercially available charging technologies. 
• Assessment of onsite electrical systems and future infrastructure needs. 
• Conceptual construction phasing and budgetary cost estimating. 
• Power supply and local utility grid assessment. 
• Facility planning, including depot layout analysis and space utilization optimization. 
• Survey of renewable energy, onsite storage and onsite generation options. 

"Electric charging infrastructure is a crucial component of successfully reaching our all-electric by 2030 commitment," said Doran Barnes, executive director of Foothill Transit. "Myriad variables require thoughtful and thorough review. Having Burns and McDonnell on board is the next, game changing step in making this fleet a reality."

Foothill Transit, which in 2010 became the first transit agency in the U.S. to bring a fast-charge electric bus into service, has a fleet of 370 buses including more than 30 electric buses. The transit agency serves 22 cities in Los Angeles County, supporting nearly 40 routes. In July, Foothill Transit announced plans to add the first electric double-decker bus in North America to its fleet in 2019. 

Burns & McDonnell ranks No. 1 in engineering and design serving the electrical power industry in the U.S., according to Engineering News-Record. The firm has supported transportation electrification projects with airports, electric vehicle manufactures, cities, seaports and transit authorities - including projects with Greenlots, New Flyer, Port of Oakland and the Port of Los Angeles. Burns & McDonnell has offices across the country, including Brea, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, California where the firm has more than 200 professionals. 

Burns & McDonnell | burnsmcd.com

Foothill Transit | foothilltransit.org