The Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) board unanimously approved the purchase of high-power Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification (WAVE) charging systems as part of its clean bus initiative.

Embedded directly and discretely into the roadway, WAVE systems provide en-route charging to AVTA’s battery-electric buses, extending their range and allowing them to completely master the Antelope Valley’s challenging high-desert environment.

The new chargers were funded as part of AVTA’s successful application to the highly-competitive statewide Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, which also won money for up to 29 new battery-electric buses. The vote paves the way for installation work to begin.

“This is yet another important step in AVTA’s transformational push to go completely zero emission by 2018," said AVTA Board Chairman Marvin Crist. "The acquisition of these chargers strengthens the infrastructural foundations that will allow our zero-emission fleet to seamlessly complete any route within AVTA’s jurisdiction. The model that we are building will form a blueprint that any transit agency looking
to go completely zero-emission can follow.”

Utah-based WAVE will install systems beginning this year and throughout 2017. WAVE technology transfers power through the air, from an embedded charging pad placed in the pavement to a receiving pad mounted on the vehicle's undercarriage seven to eight inches above, minimizing the need for on-board power storage.

Once operational, the WAVE en-route chargers will allow AVTA’s electric buses to charge during layovers as passengers board and disembark. This “top-off” charge capability significantly extends the range of AVTA’s electric bus fleet, completely eliminating any range anxiety associated with electric buses.The new systems will supplement the WAVE chargers that are currently being installed at Lancaster City Park and at the Palmdale Transportation Center.