Proterra Surpasses 150 Electric Bus Orders

Originally published on EV Obsession.

One of the leading electric bus firms in the US, Proterra, has won the majority of the vehicle supply contracts accompanying the awards supplied through the Federal Transit Administration Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment Grant, according to a new press release.

What this means in practice, is that 33 brand-new Proterra Catalyst electric buses are now slated to be deployed to various transit agencies receiving Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds around the country.

Altogether, that means that Proterra has now received orders from 16 different US transit agencies, for a total of 155 electric buses.

The press release provides more:

As one of the largest transit agencies in the United States, serving 3.9 million people in five counties in and around Philadelphia, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will receive $2,585,075 from FTA and use the funds to purchase 25 Proterra Catalyst buses and five overhead chargers. SEPTA will be procuring more zero-emission vehicles with less Low-No funding than any other grant recipient, which is a testament to SEPTA’s electric vehicle vision and state of the EV bus market. Proterra zero-emission buses will be deployed on Routes 29 and 79 in South Philadelphia.

…On the heels of completing one of the most rigorous performance tests, King County Metro Transit, serving the greater area of Seattle Washington, will now be able to fully electrify two routes using new funds from FTA’s Low-No Program for eight new Proterra Catalyst vehicles. Recently, the Catalyst simulated one year of operation and averaged 325 miles of driving each day with a constant 97 passenger equivalent load during King County’s accelerated durability and reliability test. Over the testing period, the Proterra Catalyst averaged 15 MPGe, which is 213% more efficient than current King County Metro 40′ diesel buses and is expected to improve to 18 MPGe with normal passenger loads.

Proterra’s first customer and the first agency in the US to operate EV buses in revenue service, Foothill Transit, also received Low-No grant funding that will go towards electric charging facilities and support the transit agency’s ongoing electric bus program. Foothill Transit, which serves more than 14 million customers in Los Angeles County, will be receiving 15 more EVs from Proterra this year and next, including the first commercial deliveries of Proterra’s long-range XR technology vehicles, which will be fully compatible with their existing Fast Charge FC vehicles and chargers, bringing Foothill’s all-electric fleet to nearly 10% of the transit agency’s total.

SEPTA’s Board Chairman, Pasquale T Deon, commented: “SEPTA is excited to be able to move forward with the purchase of 25 emission-free electric buses from Proterra. SEPTA already has one of the greenest bus fleets in the nation, with over half of our vehicles operating diesel-electric hybrids. The addition of electric buses furthers our commitment to a sustainable future for our riders and local residents.”

The CEO of Proterra, Ryan Popple, did so as well: “This is a big win for Proterra and the industry alike because it signals continual market demand for zero-emission vehicles. We are pleased to be supporting SEPTA, Foothill Transit and King County Metro in their electrification efforts and are committed to designing and manufacturing state-of-the-art, zero-emission buses that ultimately save our customers time and money.”