US zero-emission transit buses saw a 66% increase in 2022 – here’s why
The number of full-size transit zero-emission buses in the US saw a 66% increase since 2021, according to newly released data.
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Deepwater oil spill money pays for an inductive wireless charging bus station
As Electrek wrote in April, we’re still suffering from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico a decade later. Scientists are finding oil from that spill in the livers of fish, and on the deep ocean floor. So it’s a small consolation that $192,000 of Pinellas County, Florida’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement was spent on the US East Coast’s first inductive wireless bus charging station.
Electric bus maker Proterra secures important $140 million investment to expand production, partly from a mysterious investor
Now that battery-powered buses are becoming more cost-effective and able to handle almost any urban routes, manufacturers are looking to expand their production to satisfy the demand from transit agencies turning to electric when updating their fleet.
Proterra, a manufacturer of large all-electric buses in the US, has been talking a lot about production expansion lately after sales being up 220% since last year. The company hired Tesla’s former Vice President of Manufacturing to lead the expansion at their facility in Greenville, South Carolina, and their new factory in Los Angeles County.
Last week, the company confirmed having secured an impressive $140 million investment to finance this important expansion of their production capacity. Expand
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Montreal takes delivery of 3 new all-electric buses made in Canada
While companies like BYD and Proterra are ramping up production of their all-electric buses and delivering them to transit services around the world, the city of Montreal decided to start its fleet of zero-emission vehicles for public transit using a new electric bus developed in Canada and in partnership with the Quebec government.
The deployment was delayed by a few years, but now the city’s public transit agency has received delivery of the new electric buses and will put them to the test early next year. Expand
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California is getting 15 new all-electric buses to deploy across public transit in San Joaquin Valley
A deal between the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD) was announced today to award funding for the purchase of “15 Proterra Catalyst buses, 11 Proterra depot-chargers, and 4 Proterra fast-chargers”. Expand
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Electric bus maker Proterra follows Tesla’s lead and open-sources its Fast-Charging patents
Over two years ago, Tesla open-sourced all its patents for electric vehicles – a surprising announcement in our IP-centric business climate. CEO Elon Musk explained the move as being in line with Tesla’s mission to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport:
“If we’re all in a ship together and the ship has some holes in it, and we’re sort of bailing water out of it, and we have a great design for a bucket, then even if we’re bailing out way better than everyone else, we should probably still share the bucket design.”
We might get access to yet another bucket design thanks to Proterra, a leading manufacturer of all-electric buses. The bus maker announced today that it will be opening its proprietary “on-route fast-charging technology” on a royalty-free basis. Expand
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Proterra unveils a massive new 330 kWh battery pack for its Catalyst XR electric bus
Proterra, a leading manufacturer of all-electric buses, unveiled this week a new battery pack to power its Catalyst XR bus pictured above. The new pack holds 28 percent more energy which adds up to an impressive 330 kWh of energy capacity.
As of March 2016, Proterra had 63 buses on the roads across 10 states. Now the company says that all current Catalyst XR customers will receive a complimentary upgrade with the new battery pack. Expand
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London’s first long-range all-electric double-decker buses are now in service
Transport for London (TfL) and electric vehicle manufacturer BYD announced last week that the city of London is putting in service its firsts long-range all-electric double-decker buses – picture above.
The first 5 BYD all-electric buses will operate on Route 98 on behalf of TfL by Metroline. Expand
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Daimler is bringing a battery-powered bus to market in 2018
Daimler released its latest report for its bus division this week and confirmed its plan to bring a battery-powered bus to market in 2018 as part of its E-mobility platform.
The German automaker is planing two powertrain additions to its Citaro bus (see above): E-CELL, the battery-powered version, and F-CELL, the hydrogen fuel cell version. Expand
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World’s largest electric bus fleet being delivered in Shenzhen [Video]
The China-based electric car and bus manufacturer BYD (Build Your Dreams) announced the delivery of the world’s largest electric bus fleet to the city of Shenzhen in China. Expand
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China opens a new fast-charging station with 25 chargers at 360 kW
While Beijing completely shutdown today after issuing its first ever ‘Red Alert’ over smog, the city also announced the opening of an impressive new electric bus charging complex in the Chaoyang district. The station features 25 chargers at 360 kW and 5 chargers at 90 kW, making it one of the most powerful charging station for electric vehicles in the world. Expand
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Switzerland will have all-electric and fully autonomous buses as soon as next year [Gallery – Video]
The city of Sion in Switzerland approved a pilot project with two all-electric and fully autonomous buses which will hit the road as soon as spring 2016. The project could become the first fully autonomous public transportation system in operation.
The buses are being introduced in collaboration with the city of Sion, France-based electric bus manufacturer Navya and self-driving software firm BestMile. Expand
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BYD inked a deal with the State of Washington for up to 800 electric buses
The China-based electric car and bus manufacturer BYD (Build Your Dreams) announced today that it won an important request of proposal from Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for a contract to supply up to 800 electric buses to state transit authorities, agencies, universities, or institutions.
The deal simplifies the procurement process, now any transit agency or public institution in Washington is able to order electric buses from BYD’s selection of 30 to 60 feet battery-powered buses. Expand
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Proterra’s new all-electric bus, the Catalyst XR, drove 258 miles on a single charge
Proterra impresses again with its entirely battery-powered bus: the Catalyst XR. The South Carolina-based company announced today that its 40-foot bus drove 258 miles on a single charge under test conditions at Michelin’s Laurens Proving Grounds (LPG).
It’s without a doubt an impressive feat to power a ~27,500 lbs vehicle for 285 miles on batteries alone… Expand
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