The San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) has ordered 10 new 40-foot Proterra Catalyst E2 electric buses, which will replace 10 diesel buses. This marks the agency’s first electric bus order of many more to come, as SamTrans has set a goal of electrifying its entire bus fleet by 2033.

SamTrans’ 312-vehicle fleet carries an average of more than 36,000 people to school, work and other destinations each weekday. It operates 77 routes throughout San Mateo County—including Proterra’s home city of Burlingame—servicing a 446-square mile service area that stretches into parts of Palo Alto and San Francisco. The 10 Proterra Catalyst buses will begin service in 2019, and serve a number of routes in San Mateo County.

In addition to the environmental benefits, the new electric buses will also have a positive impact on SamTrans’ bottom line, since they require less energy to operate and reduce maintenance costs. Over their 12-year lifetime, the 10 Proterra buses will result in maintenance and operations cost savings projected at nearly $4.5 million. The purchase of these new buses is fully funded by a combination of federal, State, Bay Area Air Quality Management District and SamTrans funds.

Proterra’s new Burlingame battery production facility is currently ramping up production to meet demand and can produce over 500 MWh of E2 battery packs on an annual basis. The E2 battery packs represent the heavy-duty industry’s highest pack-level energy density at 160 Wh/kg and 260 Wh/L, Proterra says.