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Proterra


Mr.Transit

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I got to comparing the BYD and Proterra Altoona test reports, available at www.altoonabustest.com

I read that the BYD can carry 49 people and the Proterra (the 35 foot 1st gen) 65 people. Thats a big difference, presumably has to do with the batteries BYD stores inside the bus? With only 49 people aboard the BYD weighs more than the Proterra with 65 aboard. (all people measured at 150 lbs for comparison).

Also of interest the BYD report has photos of unscheduled maintenance items from page 100 to 130. The Proterra report has similar photos only from page 91 to page 102. It looks to me like the extra weight of the BYD bus took a toll on the suspension and the frame.

Proterra: 38 reported failures: (0 were Class 1--which would be the worst.) 2 were Class 2, 26 were Class 3 and 10 were Class 4.

BYD: 49 reported failures, 2 were Class 2, 40 were Class 3 and seven were Class 4.

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It will be interesting to see how the US built BYD does. That is an interesting comparison with passenger carrying capacity. I believe the 2 buses Edmonton had were good for 29 seated. They could easily have done more than 49 total. I think I did see a BYD crush loaded once but didn't pay too much attention.

Quite anxious for Edmonton's next pair to arrive!!

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  • 1 month later...

Proterra lands nearly $30 million in new business

More than half of $55 million in grants announced Thursday by the Federal Transit Administration will be used to buy battery-powered buses and chargers made by Proterra in Greenville.

The FTA distributed the money to 10 transit agencies as part of a program to deploy the cleanest and most energy-efficient transit buses made in the United States.

Six of the award winners will use their money to buy Proterra buses or chargers, according to a list of the projects released by the FTA.

Together, those transit agencies will buy 28 Proterra buses, seven charging stations and one charger, giving the Greenville company nearly $30 million worth of new orders.

Proterra CEO Ryan Popple said the outcome was a "tremendous validation for the company."

The program involved "intense competition for a lot of different technologies, but cities that specified that they wanted to deploy Proterra's technology did very, very well," he told The Greenville News.

Popple said part of the new business came from new customers in Dallas, Texas; Lexington, Kentucky; and Duluth, Minnesota.

The rest is repeat business from existing customers in Stockton, California; Louisville, Kentucky; and Worcester, Massachusetts, he said.

Popple said it was too soon to say whether the new orders would prompt additional hiring at Proterra, which employs about 185 now at its plant and headquarters along Interstate 85.

"What we're trying to figure out right now is how we slot in the orders," he said. . .

Source: http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/money/business/2015/02/05/proterra-electric-vehicles/22951323/

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  • 3 weeks later...

"Proterra adds vehicle flexibility with new extended-range battery"

http://www.metro-magazine.com/sustainability/news/293520/proterra-adds-vehicle-flexibility-with-new-extended-range-battery

Looks like they have a long-rage electric bus to rival BYD now. (And NFI unveiled in Winnipeg a fast-charge competitor to the Proterra fast-charge bus.) Competition should be good for the Transit Authorities!

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SENECA, S.C. – There are cities with more electric buses, but Seneca, according to the founder of Greenville-based bus manufacturer Proterra, now has the world's first all-electric municipal bus fleet.

City, state and federal officials gathered Friday at Seneca's Electric Transit Facility to celebrate what many said is the future of mass transit – a system that burns no fuel, creates no pollution and runs virtually silently. . .

Proterra, he said, is the first company to combine the use of light-weight composite materials such as is used in military vehicles and airplanes with electro-traction motors and lithium ion batteries.

"I think here in the city of Seneca we've proved that an electric vehicle that's four to five times more energy efficient than a diesel vehicle can do the job," he said. "I think we've proved here with the first fleet in the United States to go 100 percent EV electric that this is the future of the industry."

Having a fleet near the Proterra's headquarters is a benefit for the company in monitoring and improving its product, he added.

"To have a deployment that's very close to us where our engineers and technicains can go and see the product in real world service, where I can meet with the staff at Clemson Area Transit or the administrators and managers for the city of Seneca and learn what it's going to take to really make zero emission vehicles a reality for transit, that's incredibly powerful," he said.

The city and company waited until the buses had logged 100,000 miles to declare the project a success and make the announcement.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/02/27/seneca-electric-bus-fleet/24153817/

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Proterra is building a new bus manufacturing facility in the San Gabriel Valley area due to increased bus orders...the news item was published in the Friday edition of the Wall Street Journal.

It's being built in California.

Sounds like they are trying to go head to head with BYD in their home area.

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4 Proterra buses in Reno (RTC) = so far so good.

http://www.mynews4.com/mostpopular/story/Ask-Joe-Are-electric-buses-still-in-service/Y8NbeV2A2EWTQzunA3FZDQ.cspx

"Those buses were put into service last year about this time. There are four of them with very distinct paint jobs so they really stand out. They are zero emission buses which were paid for with $4.6 million in federal grant money.
Are they still in service? I checked with Joe Harrington at RTC about this. He says the buses were taken out of service on March 18th for maintenance and technology upgrades. Harrington estimates they will be back in service in a couple of weeks.
The buses are part of a demonstration project designed in part to evaluate the performance of the buses in our high desert climate. And so far so good. Harrington says they have required less maintenance than other vehicles in the RTC fleet and should save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintenance costs over the life of the vehicles.
"

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  • 3 weeks later...

17436388808_3cc0e09ab2_t.jpg

Here are some random tidbits I gathered from my ride on this demo this morning:

This is the Catalyst 40' model. 42, 6" in length. Built in 2014. It seats 40 passengers with the 4ONE Gemini model seat and accommodates up to another 37 standees. It has a curb weight of 27,500 lbs and GVW of 39,050 lbs. The current price for one is around $800,000 USD depending on how it is spec'd. Top speed is 65mph.

It sounds like they are still fine tuning some things such as the suspension, and optimal HVAC for different climates. However it also sounds like they have really refined and improved their product substantially since their first unit was produced.

Depending on what type of service the buyer intends to operate the bus on, the power packs can be customized to either a plug in and run setup, (i.e. charge at the garage, run for X hours, then return and recharge for the next day) a frequent recharge setup, (charge for 10 minutes each time at the end of a run) or an occasional recharge setup.

There was also mention of another demo unit being built eventually which would feature more of the equipment options that this unit doesn't carry. (Tip in windows, a Q-Pod, etc.)

Overall I really liked the design of this bus. A nice rear window, a freakishly low cut windshield that probably has some of the best curb area visibility available, solid interior panel design, and nicely integrated storage compartments and handholds over the front wheels.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Proterra keeps making the rounds with a demo bus (Maybe its the only demo bus)

This week its been in Florida, visiting Pinellas Suncoast TA (St Petersburg), HART (Tampa) and Disney!

http://suncoastnews.com/su/list/news-suncoast-pinellas/pinellas-transit-officials-weigh-pros-cons-of-electric-bus-20150522/

They should have a couple demos

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  • 2 months later...

All-electric bus passes tough WTA test: Alabama Hill

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article31832229.html

Salesmen from Proterra, a South Carolina-based electric bus manufacturer, took their 40-foot model up the hill Thursday with WTA’s top brass on board, including General Manager Pete Stark. With hardly a whine from the motor, powered by eight batteries under the floor boards, the bus was still going 20 mph when it topped the hill.

SUVs and pickups were passing the bus easily on the way up, but it did much better than the last all-electric that tried to climb Alabama Street.

GreenPower Motor Company gave it a shot during a similar sales visit on July 29, but the company’s bus had slowed to 5 mph by the time it had reached the top.

When BYD Motors was here in October 2014 for a four-day trial on WTA routes, with passengers, the company’s electric bus stayed on flat ground.

“BYD did not attempt Alabama Street hill with the bus they brought last year but told me they will be back in the future with a more powerful bus,” said Mike Bozzo, WTA’s director of fleet and facilities.

“Bellingham has a unique terrain that causes problems for them,” Bozzo said of the all-electrics. . . .

The Proterra bus had some compelling selling points: It hit 70 mph on Interstate 5 and can be charged in less than 10 minutes. Then again, it costs $779,000, compared to $414,000 each for the seven diesel buses WTA purchased in May.

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  • 2 weeks later...

King County Metros Proterra Catalyst FastCharge Electric Bus Videos

http://insideevs.com/king-county-metros-proterra-catalyst-fc-electric-bus-videos/

For the record, King County Metro still hasn't received any of its 3 Catalyst coaches. What you see in those videos is one of Proterra's demonstrators that was wrapped with a design for King County Metro.
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  • 2 weeks later...

Proterra is building a new bus manufacturing facility in the San Gabriel Valley area due to increased bus orders...the news item was published in the Friday edition of the Wall Street Journal.

It's being built in California.

Foothill Transit Places Fourth Order with Proterra, Expanding its EV Bus Fleet to 30

http://www.proterra.com/as-demand-for-electric-mass-transit-in-southern-california-grows-la-countys-foothill-transit-places-fourth-order-with-proterra-expanding-its-ev-bus-fleet-to-30/

Two California Central Valley Cities, Stockton and Porterville, Select Proterra Catalyst™ Zero-Emission Buses

http://www.proterra.com/two-california-central-valley-cities-stockton-and-porterville-select-proterra-catalyst-zero-emission-buses/

Nashville Re-Ups with Proterra, Adding More Zero-Emission Buses to the Music City

http://www.proterra.com/nashville-re-ups-with-proterra-adding-more-zero-emission-buses-to-the-music-city/

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