Proterra to Los Angeles and Canada
The double decker buses by Alexander Dennis and Proterra will be able to carry 80 passengers in the same footprint as a 38-passenger single-deck bus, said Doran Barnes, executive director of Foothill Transit. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that electric buses were eight times more energy efficient than those that ran on natural gas. Proterra will soon enter Canadian market, thanks to an order of 10 Catalyst E2 electric buses signed by Toronto transit commission (Ttc). The purchase of these two electric double decker buses from Alexander Dennis, states the press release by Foothill Transit, is made possible by a Metro Express Lanes Toll Revenue Capital Grant awarded to Foothill Transit in 2018 for $1.4M. Foothill Transit will replace two 12-year old compressed natural gas (CNG) commuter express buses with two Alexander Dennis Enviro500EVs.
According to the consulting company Eb Start Consulting, during 2017 the number of electric buses delivered to US public transit agencies grew 83 percent (182 electric buses in service at 1/1/17, 383 one year later). Although market penetration remains low at about 0.5% of the total U.S. public transit bus market, 9% of all transit agencies either had electric buses in service or on order at the end of 2017. The market leaders? Proterra and BYD, both of which have recently tripled their manufacturing capacity to keep up with the demand. New Flyer come third.
