Search Results Found For: "proterra"

Between the wheels: AxleTech goes electric

Can a company that’s 100 years old be called a startup? Mary Petrovich, Executive Chairman of AxleTech, certainly thinks so. AxleTech was founded in 1919 as Wisconsin Custom Built Axles, and has seen a century’s worth of sales, acquisitions, and rebrandings since then. Petrovich herself brought AxleTech back from the brink of failure not once,… Read more »

New report: Some electric buses are already cheaper to run than legacy buses

If you talk to manufacturers of electric buses, such as Proterra and BYD, they’ll tell you that their lower fuel and maintenance costs make them a no-brainer for transit agencies. However, a new report jointly released by the Financing Sustainable Cities Initiative and Bloomberg New Energy Finance paints a more cautiously optimistic picture. According to… Read more »

California ARB approves $663-million funding plan for clean cars, trucks, buses

The California Air Resources Board has approved $663 million in new funding for projects to reduce emissions, particularly in disadvantaged and low-income communities. The plan allocates $398 million to incentivize clean heavy-duty trucks, buses and freight projects. While diesel trucks account for only 2% of vehicles in the state, they emit the majority of the… Read more »

Flying electric: Both startups and industry giants push ahead with electric airplanes

In the popular imagination, aviation represents the last frontier for electrification. Considering the weight and limited range of batteries, an electric airplane might seem practically impossible. However, while electric long-haul airliners probably lie pretty far in the future, the fact is that, in some applications, the technical obstacles to electrified aircraft are not as formidable… Read more »

No more small pilots: It’s time to convert US transit buses to electric

City buses are an ideal application for EVs. The savings on fuel and maintenance are undeniable. In China, cities are ordering them by the thousand. So why are US cities still piddling around with pilots of a few buses? “The time for pilot programs should be in the rear-view mirror,” writes Gina Coplon-Newfield, Director of… Read more »

St Petersburg, Florida to deploy two BYD electric buses

Charged’s hometown of St Petersburg has become the second city in Florida to begin electrifying its bus fleet (Tallahassee’s StarMetro operates five Proterra e-buses). After two years of deliberation, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), which serves the St Pete/Clearwater metro area, has decided to buy two BYD electric buses. The e-buses will serve Beach Drive,… Read more »

Turnkey drivetrains: UQM, Eaton and Pi Innovo collaborate to help build better heavy-duty EVs

We write about electric buses a lot at Charged. That’s because, as our July/August cover story pointed out, we think that e-buses will inevitably become the top choice for cities and municipalities. This could happen a lot quicker than many people realize, and some have predicted that transit buses will be the first segment in… Read more »

What are the leading EV markets in the US, and how did they get there?

A new white paper from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) examines the leading regional markets in the US for EVs, and analyzes the policy actions that support their success. The assessment includes state policy (regulation, purchasing incentives), local policy (parking and lane access incentives, building codes), utility actions (charging infrastructure incentives, preferential charging… Read more »

Navigant Research: New report assesses the various types of electric powertrains for buses

Bus systems around the world are electrifying, driven by environmental regulations and cost savings. But decision-makers at transport authorities have several electrification options – hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery electric, fuel cell – each with its own set of benefits and limitations. In a new report, “Medium and Heavy Duty Buses with Hybrid, Plug-In Hybrid, Battery… Read more »