s p e c ia l se c ti o n SUMMER SAFETY SERIES - PART THREE {Safety Training and Compliance} The buses will initially operate on RTD’s Route 51, which has the DTC as its midpoint. At the DTC, the 100 percent battery-electric buses will use the overhead charger to fully charge in 10 minutes or less. The buses can operate up to two hours on a single charge.
Glasscock reports positive responses from operators as well as the people working downtown who appreciate the buses’ quiet movement. “One of the issues we deal with on a regular basis is the noise level from the number of buses running in the downtown area,” he says. “We operate a hub-and-spoke system, so just about every bus runs its route through downtown. We get noise complaints regularly, but people were quick to pick up on the quiet Proterra buses.” Currently three VIA buses operate for three route cycles between charges, which Glasscock says takes about an hour. Glasscock sees this technology as the wave of the future. He says that as the battery technology continues to develop, transit authorities will able to increase the range the buses can travel between charges. This will mean more flexibility in assigning routes.
The Worcester Regional Transit Authority, Worcester, MA —Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) serves the city of Worcester and 35 communities in the central Massachusetts area. Interested in reducing its dependency on one particular fuel source, the agency began exploring its options. A presentation by Proterra five years ago encouraged WRTA to consider the Proterra EcoRide™ BE35 as a means to save money and attract new riders. This led the agency to apply for a $4.5 million clean fuels grant to purchase three Proterra electric vehicles. “We wanted to gingerly test this technology, as Worcester is in a cold climate with hilly terrain,” says WRTA Washoe Regional Transportation President Stephen O’Neil. “We feel Commission, Reno, NV — By September, certain that these buses will perform Washoe Regional Transportation and also improve the air quality in Commission (RTC) will have this area. Over the summer, we began received its four Proterra electric determining routes for the six buses. buses. They’ll go into service in We will have three in service after November. According to David Labor Day, and Proterra will deliver Jickling, director of Public three more by the end of the year.” Transportation and Operations, the WRTA is introducing the buses with agency will devote several months a green theme. They’ll include graphics to orientation and training. and slogans - Every day is Earth Day, for “If there is one bit of advice example. The agency has established a we have sensed from some of the special route through the downtown other properties, it is to train area to demonstrate all-electric transit. the operators thoroughly on how WRTA is encouraging people to leave these buses work, particularly their cars at home and rely on the green the charging component,” he bus at least a few times a week. says. “Connecting to the charging The agency recently opened its new unit is a whole new driving and $16 million hub, which provides space maneuvering aspect to the bus. The for the Proterra fast charging station. process is a little counterintuitive “Half of our battle was won for most drivers.” before the buses arrived,” says He sees this as new territory for O’Neil. “The public saw the Washoe RTD. charging station and started asking “There’s no need to rush into questions about what it was and service,” Jickling says. “We want to what it was for.” The EcoRide BE35 recharges in downtown Stockton, CA. make sure we have everything right, The first three buses will run on and will take the time to orient our a new downtown shuttle route and charge once an hour. Once in full service, all six buses will fan out in maintenance technicians on how to maintain these buses.” Because of the relationship of these buses to the charger, they cannot different directions through the Worcester community on shorter, run on every route. The plan is to introduce the electric buses on the lower- capacity routes. Sierra Sprit circulator route in the downtown Reno area that also serves VIA Metropolitan Transit, San Antonio, TX — VIA Metropolitan applied for the University of Nevada, Reno. Each bus will return to the charger a TIGER grant in 2011 and received $5 million for its three Proterra approximately every 15 to 20 minutes for a three-minute charge. EcoRide™ buses, as well as an on-route charger and a garage “The students will get a good look at the buses,” says Jickling. charger. The agency put the buses into service in January, becoming “Residents and visitors will get to see the technology in action.” the second city behind Pomona, CA’s Foothill Transit to employ allWashoe RTC first worked with a larger consortium of transit electric technology. agencies to put together funding to purchase Proterra electric buses. Gary Glasscock, VIA vice president, Fleet and Facilities, says his When that deal collapsed due to a lack of federal support, RTC agency’s Proterra deployment is unique, in that it charges its batteries continued with a funding mechanism of its own. with 100 percent renewable energy. “Our three electric buses are totally green, including the electricity A note on Proterra from the grid,” he says. “The in-route charger features solar panels to augment the power coming from the grid to charge the batteries. We Committed to helping the United States achieve energy purchase extra energy, whatever energy the solar panels can’t produce, independence, Proterra says it sources more than 80 percent of the from the grid. In this case, the electric power comes from wind turbine content and components for its EcoRide™ buses in the United States generators located in western Texas and along the Gulf Coast.” from 33 states.
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BUSRIDE | AU G US T. 2013
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