RIPTA Electric Bus Charging Stations & Facilities

Location:  Cranston, RI

Market:  Commercial

General Contractor:  Bond Civil & Utility Construction, Inc.

Timeline:  December 2021 – March 2024

Services Provided: 

  • Engineering
  • HVAC
  • Plumbing
  • Controls
RIPTA NECA Award

AEC received 2024 Project Excellence Award from the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). (L-R) Mike Nolette, Estimator/Project Manager & Rob Cote, VP Construction

Project Overview

Arden Engineering Constructors (AEC) recently completed a project with Bond Civil & Utility Construction, Inc., U.S. Electrical Services Inc., and ABB E-mobility, building an electric bus charging station for Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) in Cranston, Rhode Island. The new charging stations will serve RIPTA’s R-Line – their busiest bus route connecting Providence and Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The fully electric route will lower emissions and reduce thousands of metric tons of greenhouse gases, improving the air quality in the surrounding communities affected by air pollution.

AEC installed four charge poles to support the bus charging control and ABB E-mobility pantograph system. The pantograph charging device lowers from the charge pole mast boom and connects to contact rails on the bus’s roof. The pantograph down-charger can operate up to a 450-kW capacity and is powered by 1, 2, or 3 ABB E-mobility Heavy Vehicle Power Cabinets (rated 150 kW each). The stations can charge up to four 40-foot buses.

AEC also engineered and installed an underground radiant snowmelt system for the buses using over 131,403 linear feet of tubing across the driveway and plaza. The water and glycol mix is heated to 120 degrees by two gas-fired high-efficiency condensing boilers in the mechanical room and distributed through six manifold piping units to the bus driveway and plaza areas, keeping the charging station accessible in inclement weather.

Earthwise Energy Technologies (Arden’s sister company) integrated a Viega snow melt control system, which provides a graphical interface to monitor trending, alarming, and scheduling priority points for the boilers, pumps, building heat, and data room air conditioning.