Proterra to Provide Two EcoRide Zero-Emission Battery-Electric Transit Buses to San Joaquin RTD

June 7, 2012
Electric buses to aid in operating cost, carbon footprint reduction.

Proterra in partnership with the San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD), was recently awarded a California Energy Commission (CEC) grant in the amount of $2.56 million toward an electric bus demonstration project valued at more than $4 million.

This demonstration project will introduce the San Joaquin RTD’s first fully electric buses into service, reducing energy consumption, waste, and pollution in California’s Central Valley, an area of strategic importance to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The grant award includes two new EcoRide BE35 battery-electric buses for RTD’s operating fleet. Proterra will also provide the automated fastcharging station for RTD’s Downtown Transit Center. The buses and charge station will be delivered to SJRTD in the spring of 2013.

Proterra’s EcoRide BE35 battery-electric buses recharge in less than 10 minutes, ready to serve the community with clean electric powered bus service. The 35-foot long buses are made of lightweight composite materials and are powered with state of the art battery technology. As a result, the buses have zero emissions, run virtually silent and are 600 percent more fuel efficient than diesel buses.

“We are very impressed with Proterra’s innovations, and we are proud to be a part of efforts to provide environmentally-friendly and sustainable transportation delivery options,” said RTD General Manager/CEO Donna DeMartino. “This project is consistent with RTD’s core values and strategic initiatives and is another positive example of how we can leverage new technology to protect our environment and save costs at the same time. We are excited to begin operating these buses next year.”

This grant comes on the heels of growing interest in Proterra in California and other areas of the country. In 2010, Proterra broke through California’s fleet regulatory requirements with a Federal Transit Authority demonstration project with Foothill Transit, in Pomona, Calif.

Foothill Transit began using three of Proterra’s EcoRide buses (dubbed the ecoliner by Foothill Transit) in September 2010 and is currently operating select services with their Proterra fleet.

“Proterra congratulates the San Joaquin Regional Transit District on its forward-thinking approach to environmentally friendly mass transit solutions,” said David Bennett, CEO, Proterra Inc. “We are pleased to work with them to become an important part of addressing the severe air pollution problems in the Central Valley while providing RTD operating cost savings in the process.”

Photo courtesy of Azure Dynamics
Transit Connect electric motor inverter.
Transit Connect electric motor inverter.
Transit Connect electric motor inverter.
Transit Connect electric motor inverter.
Transit Connect electric motor inverter.