DASH Builds DC Area's First En-Route Electric Bus Chargers
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- DASH (Alexandria Transit) broke ground on two overhead pantograph chargers at the West Alexandria Transit Center near the former Landmark Mall site — the first en-route electric bus chargers in both Northern Virginia and the broader DC metro region.
- Each charger delivers up to 360 kW of high-power DC charging via a roof-mounted pantograph arm, allowing battery-electric buses to top off mid-route and stay in service throughout the day.
- The project received more than $1 million in federal funding through the Fiscal Year 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act, secured with support from Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) and the region's federal delegation.
- ABM's Technical Solutions division is supplying the charging system, which DASH says it designed in coordination with bus manufacturers to ensure compatibility with both its current battery-electric fleet and future vehicle purchases.
- DASH has already put 16 battery-electric buses into service and has 20 more funded and being procured, advancing Alexandria's 2019 goal of a fully zero-emission fleet.
- The agency also broke ground on a depot expansion in late 2025 that will accommodate up to 30 additional electric buses and infrastructure for as many as 24 more overhead pantograph chargers; construction of the new en-route chargers is expected to wrap up in 2027.
Why it matters: With 36 electric buses already in service or funded and 26 more pantograph chargers planned, DASH is building the physical backbone for a zero-emission fleet — and the 360 kW en-route charging model, if it holds, gives the agency a template other DC-area transit operators can copy to keep electric buses running on long routes without midday depot returns.
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