Nassau Inter-County Express Battery Electric Bus Charging

Our Client’s Challenge

Transdev North America, the largest private multi-modal transportation operator in the United States, currently operates and maintains the Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE Bus) transportation system on behalf of Nassau County, N.Y.

This vital network of fixed-route and paratransit buses connects over 1.3 million Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens County residents in areas historically underserved by public transportation to local education, work, and retail opportunities. The 24/7 daily service operates 38 fixed routes serving over 96 communities. It critically connects riders to New York City and beyond through transit agencies like the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and New York City Transit’s subway station network.

Nassau County’s transportation planning process is gradually replacing its 278 low-emission compressed natural gas (CNG) transit buses with a zero-emission bus fleet over the next 20 years.

Our Solution

Gannett Fleming is designing Nassau County’s premiere bus charging station for the battery electric bus fleet. The new charging station at 650 Commercial Avenue adjacent to the NICE Bus Main Depot Facility in Garden City is part of the historic Mitchel Field site where Charles Lindbergh famously took wing in the “Spirit of St. Louis.”

Inspired by this spirit of innovation and referencing the engineering and architectural aesthetics of aviation, Gannett Fleming’s design features a long-span, open-air steel and aluminum canopy spanning approximately 116 x 182 feet to house eight permanent, sequential zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) charging stations. Nassau County expects the facility to be operational in December 2024.

Anticipating the design and construction timelines necessary to make this innovative ZEV bus fleet facility operational, Gannett Fleming’s planning process also included an interim charging infrastructure package for construction on an adjacent parcel before completing the 650 Commercial Avenue site. This secondary site will enhance fleet movement and overall transit operations, providing an opportunity for ten additional charging stations.

Nassau County has begun the conversion process with the purchase of six New Flyer Xcelsior XE40 CHARGE NG™ 40-foot transit buses currently being placed into service. With the installation of four mobile electric chargers completed at the interim site and construction of six additional in-ground stations currently underway, Nassau County and NICE Bus have launched their electric fleet into a new era of transit.