Proterra Electric Bus Added To Zion National Park Fleet

A Proterra E2 electric bus will be used for a three month trial period starting this month and ending in October at Zion National Park in Utah. Buses at Zion routinely carry up to 105 riders per service hour, compared to an average of 58 riders per service hour for the New City bus system. That means every bus is entirely filled on virtually every trip it makes all day, every day.

The Zion transportation system is operated by RATP Dev, which carries more than 1.5 billion passengers each year in 14 countries on 4 continents. It has been operating the shuttle service at  Zion for almost 30 years and began planning to introduce electric buses at Zion National Park two years ago. In 2000, it replaced all the diesel buses in the system with units powered by LPG in order to reduce smog causing emissions over the park.

Now it wants to convert the entire fleet to electricity to further tame emissions and lower ambient noise levels so visitors can more full appreciate the tranquility of the location. One of the parameters that will challenge the Proterra electric bus is temperatures at the park that can reach as much as 113 degrees. If it can handle the load factor and high temps, the plan to transition to a fully electric bus fleet will move forward.

“We are very excited to see how this new electric unit performs here at the park,” says Frank Austin, RATP Dev’s General Manager of the Park’s transit service. “Sustainability is a crucial goal here, and an electric bus fleet gives us the ability to continue to protect the park. We trained nine drivers to operate the vehicle, which is longer than the rest of units in the fleet.

“Our pilot program will provide us with the necessary data we need to ensure that an electric fleet can reliably support the 5,143,148 riders we transported last year under the extreme conditions of the desert.” Austin calls it. “A true crucible test if there ever was one. ”

“More and more transit agencies are turning to RATP Dev because we have global experience deploying and training teams to operate electric buses,” said Blaine Rigler, Vice President of Bus Services for RATP Dev North America. “Our parent organization, RATP Group, already operates nearly 900 hybrid buses, 55 electric buses, and 140 buses using renewable gas in cities around the globe.

“RATP Group is strongly committed to the transition to low-emission vehicles in major, transit-heavy cities, notably through its Bus 2025 program which consists of a 100% low emission bus fleet throughout Paris, and two fully electric bus routes in London in 2018. We are excited to bring these new models to Zion National Park and helping our clients research and invest in greener transit innovations.”

Source and photo credit: RATP Dev America

New IEA Report Says 1.26 Million Electric Cars Sold In 2015

The International Energy Agency reports that 1.26 million electric cars — both battery and plug-in hybrid — were sold worldwide in 2015. Is that a lot? It depends on how you look at the numbers and who is asking the questions. The IEA says there needs to be 100 million electric cars on the road by 2030 in order to keep average global temperatures from soaring past 2º Celsius. Is that possible?

Take a look at the chart above. The trend is certainly up. Keep in mind that there were only a few hundred electric cars on the road in 2008 and the current number is a lot higher than anyone would have expected back then. The number has tripled just since 2013. But there is still a long road ahead if we are going to get to 100 million EVs in the next 14 years.

By comparison, there are 1 billion vehicles on the road worldwide at present and that number is expected to increase dramatically in the next 20 years as demand in countries like India and China continues to soar. The good news is, the IEA says the odds of getting to 100 million EVs by 2030 are getting better, thanks to aggressive pro-electric car incentives being put in place by many countries around the world.

“Ambitious targets and policy support have lowered vehicle costs, extended vehicle range and reduced consumer barriers in a number of countries,” the report says. As a result, electric vehicles now make up more than 1% of sales in China, France, Denmark, and Sweden. They are almost 10% of sales in the Netherland and 23% in Norway.

Other important factors are a continuing decline in the cost of batteries for EVs and an increase in battery density. The IEA says batteries will need to cost less than $125 per kWh in order for electric cars to be price competitive with conventional cars. It thinks battery manufacturers will be able to get there by 2022, but Tesla may be at that point already and pushing hard to go even lower as it Gigafactory ramps up toward full production.

The IEA also points out that electric alternatives to internal combustion engines will be needed for two wheeled vehicles, heavy trucks, and buses in order to complete climate change targets. Many companies are working hard in those areas, particularly Wrightspeed when it comes to work trucks and Proterra for inner city buses.

Meanwhile, Gareth Dunsmore, head of Nissan’s European EV division, says he expects 20% of all new cars sold in Europe will be electric by 2020. Whether he thinks Nissan will be part of that trend is unclear. “Electric vehicles such as the Leaf and e-NV200 currently account for 6% of Nissan’s European sales,” Dunsmore told AutoBlog recently.  Unless Nissan introduces new models that are significantly  more appealing than the LEAF, it seems unlikey that its sales are going anywhere but down.

The LEAF is more appropriate for European needs, where average daily driving distances are shorter than they are in the US, but the car is now ancient in its technology and styling. The company has shown little interest in making the LEAF more desirable and will soon face major competition from more modern designs that sell for the same or less money.

The pace of electric car sales is increasing, but whether that continues depends on many factors. Countries like China and Norway are already talking about scaling back EV incentives, which cost governments billions every year. Low gasoline prices are also making the road forward harder for electric cars. Sales of EVs in the US market have been disappointing so far this year. Whether the world can get to 100 million electric cars by 2030 is anybody’s guess.

Source: Vox

University Of Montana Chooses Electric Buses

Proterra has won a contract to provide two of its carbon fiber electric buses to the ASUM, the student led transportation system at the University of Montana, according  Its formal name is Associated Students of the University of Montana and it was founded in 1999 by a student referendum. Since then, it has a history of promoting student governance and providing a safe and efficient transit experience for the university’s population.

15,000 riders a week now use the ASUM campus transportation UDASH routes. In 2015, total ridership exceeded 400,000. The service is free and available to students, faculty, and visitors to the school. The system accounts for 14% of all trips to and from campus.

ASUM’s decision to order two Proterra 40-foot Catalyst Fast Charge buses and one semi-autonomous fast charger signals its intention to replace is diesel powered fleet with emissions free vehicles. The buses are expected to begin operating in  September 2016. They will immediately benefit local air quality. Over the average 12 year lifespan of the buses, 1392 tons of carbon dioxide emission will be kept out of the atmosphere.

A critical factor in choosing the Proterra buses was their total cost of ownership. Their initial cost is higher than traditional diesel buses, but they will cost much less to operate. Over their useful life, they should require $135,000 less for routine maintenance costs, and that is on top of reduced fuel costs because electricity is less expensive than diesel fuel.

“The purpose-driven Catalyst design affords the best efficiency rating ever for a 40-foot transit bus, at 22 MPG equivalent,” said John Sleconich, Chief Engineer at Proterra. “Proterra buses are the only mass transit vehicle built from the ground up as an electric vehicle. With a unique aerodynamic body made from carbon fiber and advanced composite materials, we are able to reduce mass for maximum efficiency.”

ASUM was also able to finance the purchase on favorable terms  through the state of Montana’s INTERCAP program. It also received a Diesel Emissions Reduction Act grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for $163,191. Those grants are designed to improve public health through reducing emissions and particulate matter from diesel engines.

One of a handful of student led transit agencies in the United States, ASUM is a leading the movement that sees sustainable transport as a priority rather than a luxury. The Porterra electric buses will also help the University of Montana meet its goal of being a carbon neutral campus by 2020.

London Getting 50 More Electric Buses, Bringing Total To 51

In China, some cities have ordered thousands of electric buses. Unfortunately, most cities around the world haven’t even tested out one yet. But the ones that have been piloting them have generally found out that they work well and can cut air and noise pollution while costing the same as a diesel bus on a lifetime basis.

London has run a pilot project with a BYD electric bus, and things turned out well enough that it just decided to order 50 more. The 50 electric buses will be the only buses running on two Transport for London (TfL) lines — the 507 and 521. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the buses won’t start running until fall of 2016.

Go Ahead won the contract and will decide in the end which electric buses to use (top contenders are certainly BYD and Proterra).

Of course, this is just the beginning. “By 2020 all 300 single deck buses operating in central London will be zero emission (either electric or hydrogen) and all 3,000 double deck buses will be hybrid,” TfL writes.

“Today’s announcement follows the introduction of the first of two new electric buses, manufactured by Spanish company Irizar, into passenger service earlier this week. At a Global Clean Bus Summit hosted by City Hall in June, Mayor of London Boris Johnson also announced a world-first trial of a purpose built pure electric double deck bus that will begin in October.” So I guess Irizar is a contender, too.

“The Ultra Low Emission Zone that will be introduced in 2020 is the most ambitious measure of its kind taken to tackle air pollution anywhere in the world, and it will transform our bus fleet into a cleaner, greener and more pleasant way of travelling for Londoners,” Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy, Matthew Pencharz, said.

Kudos to London.

Proterra Announces Extended-Range Electric Bus With 180 Mile Range

There’s a battle ongoing in the world of electric buses, and the latest salvo comes from the Proterra camp, which has just announced its new TerraVolt XR extended-range electric bus. Offering up to 180 miles of driving on a single charge, the new Proterra TerraVolt XR electric bus will offer municipalities yet another option when it comes to replacing aging diesel buses.

“Operating successfully in cities across the country, the Proterra Catalyst™ is the most energy-efficient transit bus on the market,” said Matt Horton, vice president of sales and marketing at Proterra, Inc. “Adding extended-range capabilities to our existing portfolio of fast-charge products, enables us to help our customers meet more of their most demanding service requirements. The flexibility of our platform allows our customers to more confidently invest in the future of transit.”

This means Proterra can now compete mile-for-mile with its primary rival, BYD, allowing for bus inter-city travel rather than merely local deliveries. The TerraVolt XR joins the TerraVolt FC, which has less range but can be recharged in as little as 5 minutes, minimizing downtime. Even with a smaller battery, the TerraVolt FC was able to cover some 700 miles in 24 hours, though the BYD electric bus covered nearly 750 miles in the same time. Things are tight between these two electric buses to be sure. The TerraVolt XR will take about an hour to charge in comparison, with up to 321 kWh of onboard energy storage, compared to the FC’s maximum pack size of 131 kWh.

Both BYD and Proterra aim to be the electric bus of choice for America, and with the TerraVolt XR Proterra can offer municipalities the best of both worlds; a short-range, fast-charging bus, or a longer-range vehicle with minimal downtime. Either option is better than the current crop of diesel buses, that’s for sure.