Electric bus manufacturer Proterra Inc. announced the sale of two 40-foot (12 meter) battery-electric transit vehicles and a fast charge system to King County Metro in Seattle, Wash.
Following a one-year trial period, the agency has the pre-arranged option to purchase up to 200 more buses and additional fast charge systems, depending on the outcome of the demonstration.
Proterra was selected through a competitive process for the program, which included bids from other transit vehicle manufacturers.
A pioneer in clean technology for transit, King County Metro’s fleet currently incorporates electric trolley and diesel-hybrid vehicles. The ability to test and deploy more EV buses like Proterra’s may allow the agency to meet its goal of moving toward an all-electric and hybrid-electric fleet.
Funding for the 40-foot zero-emission electric buses and fast charge system, which are scheduled to be delivered in the first half of 2015, will be provided by FTA TIGGER funding and matching funds from KingCounty.
With this purchase, the Seattle area is the latest in a group of metropolitan areas, including Stockton and Pomona, Calif.; San Antonio, Texas; Worcester, Mass.; Tallahassee, Fla.; Seneca, S.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; Reno, Nev.; and Louisville, Ky., to purchase and deploy Proterra EV transit technology. Proterra EV buses have logged nearly 500,000 road miles, powered 100 percent by clean local electricity.
