Proterra Opens Next-Gen EV Battery Facility in Los Angeles, California

December 10, 20204 years ago Zachary Shahan 0 Comments

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Proterra recently sold its 1,000^th electric bus in the United States, to Broward County Transit in Florida. Days earlier, a Proterra electric bus arrived in Wyoming, the state’s first electric bus from any manufacturer. A couple of weeks before that, Dominion Energy received its first of 50 electric school buses, built on top of Proterra powertrains, and the city of Beverly in Massachusetts got its first electric school bus, also using Proterra powertrains. At around the same time, Charlotte Douglas International Airport received 5 electric buses from Proterra.

All of these buses have something important in common — they need a lot of batteries. They also highlight Proterra’s growing influence. In fact, the sale of its 1,000^th electric bus came just 3 years after the delivery of its 100^th electric bus. Demand for its electric buses is growing strongly, and that has led to a new battery production line inside Proterra’s electric bus factory in Los Angeles County, California.

It announced today that it will manufacture “industry-leading battery packs featuring new, next-generation cells” at the facility. That is creating “more than two dozen positions represented by the United Steelworkers Local 675.” It took less than a year to set up the new battery production line.

The next-generation cells were co-developed with LG Energy Solutions, and the battery module was also redesigned. The new battery packs will have more energy storage capacity and higher power density, which means they enable increased range and faster charging times. The Proterra ZX5 electric bus includes 675 kWh of energy storage, the most of any 40-foot electric bus on the market.

“Since 2016, Proterra and LG engineering teams have been collaborating to maximize cell performance to meet the stringent requirements of commercial vehicle markets,” the company adds.

Furthermore, as hinted above, Proterra’s powertrains are now used well beyond their original application in transit buses. The company states:

“In addition to its transit business, Proterra provides its road-tested and proven electric vehicle technology and expertise to other heavy- and medium-duty commercial vehicle manufacturers through the company’s Proterra Powered program. Proterra battery systems have been chosen by world-class OEMs to introduce 100% battery-electric vehicles, including delivery vans, electric school buses, coach buses, and low-floor cutaway shuttle buses. To date, Proterra Powered has helped world-class OEMs like Thomas Built Buses, Van Hool, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC), Bustech, and Optimal-EV introduce 100% battery-electric vehicles that are powered by Proterra electric vehicle technology.”

“Today, Proterra furthers our commitment to the City of Industry and Los Angeles County as we bring more advanced manufacturing jobs to California,” said Proterra CEO Jack Allen.

“Proterra’s industry-leading battery technology has been proven in 16 million miles driven by our fleet of buses. Now, with the opening of our new battery production line, we’re excited to build on this progress as we deliver Proterra Powered technology solutions to vehicle manufacturers around the world. Thank you to the California Energy Commission and our local partners to support the growth and advancement of Proterra’s City of Industry facility.”

“The California Energy Commission is proud to partner with innovative companies like Proterra to expand advanced transportation manufacturing in our state. Today’s announcement is yet another demonstration of how California is the center for innovation in electric vehicle technology,” added California Energy Commissioner Patty Monahan.

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Zachary Shahan