Two California cities ordering Proterra electric buses
21 July 2015
The California cities of Stockton and Porterville have each placed orders with Proterra for its new Catalyst battery-electric bus with funding from the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District.
Four new Proterra buses will replace diesel buses in a concerted effort from the Valley to enable the proliferation of clean-air fleets, significantly reduce emissions and improve ambient air quality and public health. Proterra says that its Catalyst bus is the most efficient 40' transit bus on the market, nearly six times more efficient than the diesel buses it will be replacing, at 22 MPGe.
San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD), which serves more than 687,744 people in San Joaquin County, will be ordering an additional two Catalyst buses.
As the first transit agency in Northern California to have operated fully-electric buses, we’re grateful for the District’s funding and the opportunity to expand our electric bus fleet with Proterra.
—Donna DeMartino, General Manager/CEO at RTD
Tulare County’s Porterville Transit also has plans to procure two Proterra 40’ Catalyst buses to inaugurate the Southern Valley’s first electric transit bus service for approximately 650,000 passengers per year.
These additional customer orders from Stockton and Porterville will bring the company’s firm orders to 110 units, with 323 options contracted, for a total of 433.
Electric buses (after e-trains) is one of the most efficient way to transport people while reducing noise, GHG and pollution.
What can be done to convince operators to accelerate the switch from noisy polluting diesel to quiet clean e-buses?
Posted by: HarveyD | 21 July 2015 at 10:46 AM
More efficient, sure.
But that does not matter too much as electricity is cheap anyway.
What counts is total cost of ownership,and the purchase price of the Proterra's are far to high compared to the mass produced BYD buses for fuel costs to make much of a dent on that.
Posted by: Davemart | 21 July 2015 at 01:17 PM
Davemart
Proterra and BYD are quite different buses. One has the fastest overhead automated charging system in existence, the other has only over-night manual charging connections. One has batteries in the floor (rumored to be field serviceable, hard to believe), one has big cabinets taking up passenger space. I recall there are significant differences in gradeablity and labor practices. There are many other differences such as domestic content, on and on. New Flyer is in the EV bus market also, as are others. There are many variables that affect TCO, it is too soon to say who will dominate. Proterra may be the only US based EV transit bus OEM though.
Posted by: James McLaughlin | 24 July 2015 at 07:53 PM