Proterra, one of the leading electric bus manufacturers, has recently announced that it received an order for 33 of its 40ft. Proterra Catalyst E2 electric buses from Miami-Dade county. This order of 33 electric buses makes it the largest single order for electric busses on the eastern coast of the United States.
Miami is one of the major cities that would be greatly devested with accelerated climate change causing a sea-level rise that could engulf the entire city. Shifting its public transportation towards electric buses is one way that they could do their part in helping with climate change.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez made the following statement about the purchase:
“Florida is one of the most vulnerable areas in the country to climate change, and Miami is working tirelessly to lower its greenhouse gas emissions. Deploying battery-electric buses is one of the best actions we can take to improve our environment and our community’s public health. We are looking forward to working with Proterra to deliver clean, quiet transportation to Miami-Dade.”
The purchase shows a commitment towards Miami’s plan to have at least 50 percent of the county’s buses be electric by 2035, although we do hope that they could bring that date forward as Miami is definitely a city that is at high risk when it comes to sea-level rise. According to Proterra, each battery-electric buse eliminates about 230,000 pounds of CO2 emissions annually compared to the diesel bus that it replaces.
To help with the transition, Miami-Dade will also have Proterra install up to 75 plug-in chargers that can support future expansion of the fleet. The chargers are standardized J1772-CCS plugs, meaning that almost any other vehicles can be plugged into them, so they are not limited to specifically the Catalyst E2 electric bus.
The 40 ft. Catalyst E2 electric bus packs a 440 kWh battery and has an operating range of 161-230 miles. A full charge takes anywhere from 2.7-3.2 hours according to Proterra, meaning that each bus will not be out of commission for too long. According to the AFDC, the average transportation bus travels 34,053 miles annually, coming out to about 94 miles daily, making the range of E2 adequate.
Proterra CEO Ryan Popple made the following statement:
“Miami-Dade has shown exceptional leadership in supporting transportation innovation and environmental sustainability. With their commitment to EV technology and their long-term vision to reduce fossil fuel dependence, they are helping to create the future for North American mass transit. We are proud to partner with Miami-Dade on electric vehicle and charging infrastructure.”
It is a shame that the United States is not investing in electric buses as much as the likes of Colombia, China or France. The thought of 33 electric buses being some sort of milestone when Paris ordered 800 not too long ago is weird. However, we are hoping that slowly but surely more cities will decide to invest in their public transportation with electric buses. I just hope not too slowly.
What do you think of the deal regarding these electric buses? Let us know down in the comments below.
Source: Proterra
