Proterra unveils new Catalyst E2 all-electric bus with 350 miles of range on massive 660 kWh battery

Proterra unveils today its new Catalyst E2 and it claims it will cover the “daily mileage needs of nearly every U.S. mass transit route on a single charge” – leaving no excuse to fleet managers for not going with all-electric buses when replacing their fleet.

The Catalyst E2’s modular battery pack can store between 440 – 660 kWh of energy depending on its configuration. The company says that it can achieve a nominal range of 194 – 350 miles, again depending on the battery configuration, but additionally, it managed to log “more than 600 miles on a single charge” during at Michelin’s Laurens Proving Grounds last month.

The bus maker’s biggest battery pack was the 330 kWh in the Catalyst XR electric bus.

Ryan Popple, CEO of Proterra, on the announcement:

“Proterra’s primary goal has always been to create a purpose-built, high-performance electric vehicle that can serve every single transit route in the United States. Today, with the unveiling of the Catalyst E2 Series, that goal has been achieved. The question is no longer who will be an early adopter of this technology, but rather who will be the last to commit to a future of clean, efficient, and sustainable mobility. With the Catalyst E2 offering a no-compromise replacement for all fossil fuel buses, battery-electric vehicles have now broken down the final barrier to widespread market adoption.”

Proterra claims to have sold 312 electric buses to date and that sales are 220% since last year. Its vehicles in operation right now have logged in over 2.5 million miles.

The company expects to double its production in 2017 with the deliveries of its new Catalyst E2

Interestingly, Proterra’s buses are not only able to travel far on a single charge, but they can also recharge fairly quickly thanks to the company’s proprietary charging technology, which it open-sourced earlier this year.

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