Siemens Advances North Carolina’s Electric Transit Efforts by Manufacturing Charging Infrastructure for Area Transit System

Built at its manufacturing hub in Wendell, NC, the Siemens charging infrastructure is supporting new electric bus fleets across the state

Siemens continues its work to support transit authorities across the U.S. in their transition to electric transportation by providing newly-built, North Carolina-made charging infrastructure for two of the state’s largest transit operators, GoRaleigh and the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS).  Siemens eMobility and its 550-employee manufacturing hub located in Wendell, North Carolina, manufactured and delivered chargers to the local transit authorities to support new electric buses entering their fleets. Siemens highlighted this work during an event on accelerating EV infrastructure deployment hosted today at the company’s Wendell hub with Governor Roy Cooper and U.S. Congresswoman Deborah Ross.

“Siemens is growing to help meet the demand we’re seeing for electrified transportation in North Carolina and beyond and as a result, we’re really proud to bring high-skilled, well-paying jobs to the region,” said John DeBoer, head of Siemens eMobility in North America. “It’s incredibly encouraging to see transit authorities like GoRaleigh and CATS lead in making the transition to electrified fleets to not only offer more sustainable travel but provide environmental and public health benefits to their communities, and we’re ready to continue supporting North Carolina’s effort to make clean, reliable electric transportation a reality.”

In Raleigh, Siemens partnered with GoRaleigh and Proterra to help electrify the city’s transit buses. The project included the manufacturing and installation of three DC plug-in fast chargers and six dispensers at the GoRaleigh transit hub facility. In addition, Siemens will help scale up infrastructure at their fleet hub with the installation of SICHARGE UC chargers later this spring. Launched in the U.S. last summer, SICHARGE UC is a modular charging solution for electric buses, trucks and heavy-duty vehicles.

GoRaleigh is responsible for operating most of the public transportation services in Raleigh, North Carolina. The system operates 27 fixed routes throughout the city’s municipal area and also operates five regional and express routes in partnership with GoTriangle, the regional provider. Their new zero-emission, electric buses will become part of the City of Raleigh Department of Transportation’s transit fleet.

In addition to its partnership with GoRaleigh, Siemens manufactured and delivered chargers to support the Charlotte Area Transit System’s (CATS) new electric buses. Siemens provided four SICHARGE UC chargers and eight dispensers for the transit system which will help support its new electrified bus operations for citizens across the city. Overall, CATS operates bus and rail systems that carry around 175,000 riders on an average week.

The new electric charging infrastructure project with Siemens is the latest in a long-standing partnership between the company and CATS. Siemens Mobility has been manufacturing U.S.-made S700 streetcars to the transit system for several years, and recently, six new S700 streetcars joined Charlotte’s existing light rail fleet of 42 S70 light rail vehicles, bringing the total number of Siemens Mobility vehicles operated by CATS to 48.

Siemens has nearly 5,000 employees across North Carolina with a strong footprint in Wendell. In partnership with Wake Tech Community College, Siemens recently launched an apprenticeship program in Wendell as well as the Siemens eMobility Experience training program. The 272,000-square-foot facility has been in operation since the early 1980s and was expanded in 2019. The company added 100 new jobs at the facility in just the past two years and expects to add 50 more over the next year to support the electrification of the U.S. transit market.

At this location, employees focus on research and development, engineering, business development, and manufacturing for Siemens’ new SICHARGE UC charging solutions for heavy-duty electric fleets. The Wendell location also heads up its Manufacturing Extension Partnership program to help meet resourcing needs by working with local educational institutions including North Carolina State University.

In Charlotte, the location of one of the R&D hubs for Siemens Technology, the company’s center for innovation and business excellence, employees are leading the way in world-class R&D, leveraging longtime partnerships, and fostering collaborations with universities and government.

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