All-Electric City Buses Go to Work in California

Three fully-electric buses are now operating on routes in eastern Los Angeles county.

This is the first major deployment of zero-emissions buses made by Proterra, Inc. The buses achieve between 18 and 29 miles per gallon (diesel-fuel equivalent) fully
loaded with 68 passengers–a 500% improvement on comparable diesel buses. With up to three hours of operation and the ability to recharge in less
than 10 minutes on route, Proterra says the buses can easily be incorporated
into any transit agencies’ existing routes without impacting their
schedules or routes.

Foothill Transit, a public transport provider in Southern San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, put the buses and related fast-charging stations into operation this week. The company has set a goal of establishing a full fleet of clean-fueled vehicles by 2011.

The deployment of the Proterra bus by Foothill Transit, advances the electric transit industry, providing a real-world example of the benefits and ease of deployment. California transit agencies  are required to make zero emission buses 15% of their annual bus orders starting in 2012.

The EcoRide BE35 has a light-weight composite body and contains all electric components, including an electric drive motor supplied by UQM (AMEX: UQM). Proterra says the bus offers greater than $300,000 savings in total lifetime operating expenses.

Proterra is headquartered in Golden, Colorado.