Proterra claims to have set a record for the most miles traveled by a battery-electric bus in a day. One of its buses completed a test run on which it traveled more than 700 miles in 24 hours. The test route was designed to simulate both commuter and central business district routes and drive cycles.

The bus, which ran an average of 29 mph with the HVAC system running, was charged periodically throughout the day, using Proterra’s proprietary fast-charging process.  It recorded an average fuel economy of nearly 27 MPGe, which Proterra says is nearly six times that of a diesel bus and seven times that of a CNG bus.

“This record offers definitive proof that all-electric Proterra buses combine all the durability and functionality of conventional buses, while significantly reducing total cost of ownership, fuel consumption and greenhouse emissions,” said Proterra CEO Garrett Mikita. “We are even more proud of the fact that we demonstrated this performance using a regular production bus with the same features and performance we build into all our buses.”

Proterra currently has buses in revenue service in San Antonio, Worcester, Reno, Stockton, Pomona and Tallahassee, and deliveries are scheduled for Nashville, Louisville and other US cities.

Source: Proterra