Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming an increasingly viable transportation option, not only for consumers but also for companies and public authorities looking to future-proof their fleets in an efficient and sustainable way. And while consumer EVs utilize charging hubs similar to traditional gas pump stations, that solution isn’t easily scalable for large fleets.

But Balfour Beatty can provide an innovative solution: Overhead Contact System (OCS) networks. While OCS is not a new technology (OCS trains were first designed and implemented in the late 19^th century), it’s perfectly suited to the dynamic needs of modern EV fleets.

With combined decades of traction power, electrification and power architecture and an unwavering client-first approach to project collaboration, Balfour Beatty teams are able to adapt this time-tested technology to keep electric fleets charged and ready for action.

Expert Teams, Excellent Service

Any construction project can only be as successful as the strength of its collective expertise. Beyond project experience, Balfour Beatty’s rail experts understand that our clients’ reputation and longevity rest squarely on their ability to provide reliable transportation. When renovating existing lines or targeting a completion date for new lines, delay and compromise are simply not options.

Balfour Beatty has intentionally assembled a team of industry-leading experts wholly invested in our client-first business and Zero Harm ethic. The result: a stunning record of success on groundbreaking rail projects including the Eagle Commuter Rail Network, Caltrain, the LAX Automated People Mover and more.

“Every construction professional has to start somewhere, but over collective decades of light rail experience, our teams have incorporated countless lessons learned and built a proven process for rail success,” adds Will Pfeffer, area operations manager for our US Rail projects in California. “Our rail clients expect the best project outcomes, because they know the industry’s best rail experts are working on their projects.”

Our US Rail team includes many transportation professionals with collective decades of project experience, all of whom excel at project coordination, laser-focused safety processes, client communication and more.

Differentiating their collective expertise, Balfour Beatty teams often transcend standard industry practices by self-performing as much of their electrical work as possible. Our comprehensive ownership of the electrification of OCS systems and the final testing processes ensures that those systems and pantographs are fit for use and won’t result in wayward electrical arcs or potentially catastrophic fires.

“At the end of a rail project or a segment of OCS improvements, we value full accountability of our own work,” Will adds. “Our staff has the expertise to build rail right, build it to last and to stand by the quality of our work, then we prove it with rigorous and accelerated testing before turning over a product with our full confidence.”

Our rail teams also leverage the advantages of Balfour Beatty’s Total Power Group (TPG) and its fully in-house, custom construction of traction power systems. While our teams are equally adept at working with third-party traction power trade partners, every opportunity to collaborate with TPG is an opportunity to further strengthen and streamline our OCS and electrification solutions and ensure the most rigorous possible quality control.

Together, Balfour Beatty’s US Civils teams and our partners at TPG can tackle any electrification project, from countless linear miles of rail to extensive EV fleet charging and maintenance depots.

Pantograph Perfection

First used by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1895, the pantograph is still the key component in any OCS electrification system, just like the thousands of collective miles of OCS railway our teams have constructed around the country.

A pantograph is a contact point mounted on the roof of a railcar or that supplies steady current when in contact with a high-voltage overhead contact wire. That current is in constant use on moving trains, but for EVs that need periodic charging and then move away from the station, a stationary and inverted OCS and pantograph system presents several unique advantages.

“For EV charging, the pantograph arm would actually be part of the OCS apparatus instead of the vehicle, and it would move down to connect with the vehicle’s rooftop charging port,” Will says. “The system components all work exactly like our electrified rail projects, but it creates a sleeker, safer and more energy-efficient profile for electric vehicles.”

Despite the inverted system of a stationary pantograph compared to a train-mounted pantograph and overhead contact wire, the same principles of electrical safety still apply.

After all, pantograph charging for buses or EVs still entails moving systems that transmit extremely high voltage across connections that must be designed, constructed and safely tested with an exacting attention to detail. The consequences of anything less could be catastrophic to both life and property.

“Pantograph connections and OCS systems involve kilovolt levels far beyond lethal,” Will adds. “Over many years as OCS rail experts, our teams have repeatedly proved and refined our approach to load testing and re-electrification that ensured the safety of both our clients’ investments and the vehicles’ end users.”

Teams at the Ready

With overhead pantographs, clients including transit authorities, local municipalities, corporate fleet managers and more can build a sustainable and low-emissions solution for electric vehicle charging.

Whatever the best solution for a given electrification project, our teams are power architecture experts with vertical integration that ensures matchless quality and reliable success. We bring our standard-setting, in-house capabilities for building infrastructure and traction power, combined with a relationship-driven approach to project management and client advocacy.

Together, in a collaborative environment and with a foundation of shared values and a shared mission, we can build charging systems that can take any EV fleet into a low-emissions future.