“Its nominal range of 194 – 350 miles means the Catalyst E2 series is capable of serving the full daily mileage needs of almost every US mass transit route on a single charge and offers the transit industry the first direct replacement for fossil-fueled transit vehicles”.
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A relatively young U.S. company, Proterra, unveiled a new model, the E2, in its line-up of zero-emission buses this week – one which can travel up to 960km non-stop.
That’s longer than almost every municipal bus route in America, which theoretically positions the new bus as a viable replacement for fossil-fueled public transit. The transit authorities lining up to buy electric buses from Proterra are happy to help save the planet, of course, but they are first and foremost concerned with saving money. Providing both environmental benefits and cost savings, these buses are a symbol of Louisville’s sustainability efforts.
“Since our first EV bus procurement with Proterra in 2010, we knew that zero-emission buses were the future of mass transit”, says a representative of Proterra’s first customer – Foothill Transit in California. Now, with the rollout of the upcoming Catalyst E2, the alternative energy automotive company seeks to reach a new milestone.
All that extra capacity comes with a hefty price tag, too – around $800,000 just to start, which would potentially be a tough sell compared to a $300,000 or so price tag for a diesel-powered bus with the same passenger capacity. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with Proterra as their technology continues to expand within North America”.
To date, Proterra notes their electric buses have driven more than 2.6 million miles – displacing around 540,000 gallons of diesel; and that 2016 has been “a breakthrough year in the mass transit sector” for the company as 2016 sales are already 220% higher than that of 2015.
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Proterra engineers were able to reduce bus weight through the use of carbon fiber, and also improved the energy density of the battery packs, according to Popple. This milestone for the company’s mass transit vehicle represents a substantial proof that the coach can cover nearly every public transportation route in the United States easily. It takes just short of 5 hours to charge the battery for the highest performance variant of the 40-foot bus. With unmatched durability and energy efficiency based on rigorous USA certification testing, Proterra products are proudly designed, engineered and manufactured in America, with offices in Silicon Valley, South Carolina, and Los Angeles.
