Mineta San José International Airport’s (SJC) has deployed a fleet of 10 Proterra battery-electric buses that will transport passengers and their luggage between SJC’s parking lots, rental car center, and terminals.

SJC’s deployment is a first for a California airport and among the largest deployments for a US airport. The buses and charging systems were designed and manufactured locally by Proterra, based in Burlingame, Calif.

Funded in part by a $5-million zero-emissions grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, the electric buses replace the aging compressed natural gas bus fleet that has been operating at SJC since 2008.

The electric bus fleet is anticipated to reduce ozone emissions by 1.1 tons over a 10-year period—the equivalent of 50 gas-powered passenger vehicles taken off the roads.

The electric buses are powered by the City’s own San José Clean Energy source, contributing to the Airport meeting its sustainability goals in conjunction with Climate Smart San José.

SJC joins a growing list of airports (including Indianapolis, New York-JFK, Newark, LaGuardia, Sacramento, LAX and SFO), transit agencies, and universities and colleges, that are making the transition to zero-emission vehicle fleets. To date, Proterra Catalyst buses on the road have driven more than seven million service miles and displaced more than 40 million pounds of tailpipe emissions.

The airport, now in its 70^th year, serves more than 14.5 million passengers annually, with 450 peak daily departures and arrivals on 13 international and domestic carriers to 50+ nonstop destinations. SJC has been one of America’s fastest‐growing major airports over the past three-year period, based on percentage increase in passenger seat capacity.