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Consultants: Eden will need new transformer, 3,000‑amp main and garage changes; lead times could add years
Summary
Wendell told the board the district would likely need a utility-owned 1,500 kVA transformer, a new 3,000-amp main and maintenance-bay extension; long lead times for switchgear (about 16 months) mean a 3.5–4 year timeline from phase‑1 design start to charger installation.
The district’s fleet electrification study included an hour-by-hour worst-case charging model and a proposed district-side electrical upgrade package that consultants said would support full conversion.
Project staff said the modeled peak charging demand for all converted buses is about 823 kW (about 855 kVA including vans). "We determined that the district would need a new, 480 volt... from a new utility owned transformer, which is being proposed at 1,500 KVA," the consultants said, and they recommended installing a new 3,000-amp main feeding multiple switchboards to serve chargers. National Grid told the team the feeder and substation could accommodate the proposed peak load but that a new transformer would be required.
Consultants warned of long procurement lead times for switchgear and switchboards — historically as long as 20 months and recently about 16 months — meaning the district should expect roughly 3.5–4 years from the start of phase‑1 design to charger installation. They recommended districts consider small pilots on existing service to avoid long utility coordination while the big upgrades are designed and procured.
