USDOT awarding $55M to support purchase of Low-No buses; electric buses and infrastructure
17 September 2017
The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced $55 million in grant selections through the Low or No Emission (Low-No) Vehicle program, which funds the development of transit buses and infrastructure that use advanced fuel technologies. Fifty-one projects in 39 states will receive a share of the funding. The vast majority of the funded projects are for battery-electric buses and infrastructure; two projects are receiving a total of $3.2 million for hydrogen fuel cell buses.
Eligible projects included those that replace, rehabilitate, lease, and purchase buses and related equipment as well as projects to purchase, rehabilitate, construct or lease bus-related facilities, such as buildings for bus storage and maintenance. Projects can also include workforce development components to train the next generation of transit employees.
| FY2017 Low-No projects | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsor (Partners) |
Description | Funding | ||||
| Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities | The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities will receive funding to purchase battery electric buses, associated charging infrastructure and a back-up generator to maintain bus service in a disaster situation. Juneau, the Capital City of Alaska, has a clean, renewable source of energy, local hydropower. Transitioning the fleet to all electric will eliminate emissions from diesel buses and emissions from shipping diesel fuel by barge 900 miles from Seattle. | $408,130 | ||||
| Alabama A&M University | Alabama A&M University’s Bulldog Transit System will receive funding to purchase electric buses, charging stations, and other associated equipment. BTS has a commitment to replace buses that have reached the end of their useful life with zero emission buses. | $1,000,000 | ||||
| City of Fairfield | The City of Fairfield will receive funding to purchase all-electric, zero-emission Proterra 35' Catalyst E2 buses and supporting charging infrastructure as part of their Alternative Fuels and Fleet Replacement policy, which focuses on transitioning to an all-electric fleet. By replacing aging fleet vehicles with Proterra electric buses, the City of Fairfield will improve both route efficiency and air quality. | $1,225,000 | ||||
| City of Los Angeles, Department of Transportation | The City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) will receive funding to purchase Proterra 35-foot, battery electric, zero emission buses with a capitalized lease for the electric battery and to install electric charging stations at the Sylmar/San Fernando Valley and Downtown Bus Facilities. The funding is for the incremental cost of a battery electric bus over a CNG bus and leverages federal, state, local utilities and local match to purchase the battery electric buses for service expansion. | $1,225,000 | ||||
| Napa Valley Transportation Authority | Napa Valley Transportation Authority will receive funding to purchase BYD 30' battery electric buses to replace buses in a comprehensive revitalization of Vine Transit's current revenue vehicle fleet. The 30' battery electric buses will replace several vehicles at or near the end of their useful lives. All of the replacements are diesel powered heavy-duty buses that are past their twelve-year life span. | $1,092,250 | ||||
| Redding Area Bus Authority | Redding Area Bus Authority will receive funding to purchase all-electric Proterra 35-foot Catalyst E2 transit buses; install fast-charge bus charging stations with a charging cube and supporting infrastructure; make other necessary improvements to RABA's maintenance depot; and train drivers and staff on operation and maintenance of buses and equipment. | $746,456 | ||||
| Antelope Valley Transit Authority | Antelope Valley Transit Authority will receive funding to purchase battery electric buses that will replace diesel buses that have exceeded useful life. AVTA is committed to having an all electric fleet by 2018. | $705,347 | ||||
| State of Colorado Department of Transportation | The State of Colorado Department of Transportation will receive funding to purchase zero emission buses for the Town of Vail, Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, and the City of Boulder. The buses will replace diesel buses that have exceeded useful life. | $1,450,000 | ||||
| Connecticut Department of Transportation | The Connecticut Department of Transportation will receive funding to purchase 40' Proterra E2 Max battery electric buses through a joint effort with CTtransit’s Hartford Division and Greater Bridgeport Transit. The project will be the next step in CTDOT's zero emission bus deployment program with the goal to minimize the carbon emissions of Connecticut's bus fleet. | $1,450,000 | ||||
| Delaware Transit Corporation | Delaware Transit Corporation will receive funding to purchase Proterra 35' Catalyst E2 battery electric Buses, serving Wilmington and Sussex County. DTC will also deploy on-route chargers and depot chargers. | $1,000,000 | ||||
| City of Gainesville | Gainesville RTS will receive funding to purchase Gillig 40' battery electric buses and depot chargers to replace diesel buses. These buses will be Gainesville RTS's first zero emission buses, and one of the first deployments of the Gillig battery electric bus. | $1,000,000 | ||||
| Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority | Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority will receive funding to execute a second phase of its electric bus program to install charging infrastructure (on-route & charging bank for depot chargers) and buy electric buses. The charging infrastructure is an integral part of PSTA's long-term battery electric bus program. | $1,000,000 | ||||
| The Jacksonville Transportation Authority | The Jacksonville Transportation Authority will receive funding to replace diesel buses with 40' battery electric Gillig buses and chargers for an expansion route. The new route will serve a Park-n-Ride and a new Amazon distribution center that employs over 1,500 Jacksonville residents. Because the charging stations will utilize Jacksonville Electric Authority's Solar Smart Power program, the buses will truly have zero emissions. | $1,000,000 | ||||
| Broward County | Broward County Transit (BCT) will receive funding to replace diesel buses that have met their useful life with all-electric 45' over-the-road buses. Purchase of these buses will include associated depot charging infrastructure to support bus deployment. The buses will be operated on BCT's express bus routes servicing the Southeast Florida cities of Fort Lauderdale and Miami. | $1,000,000 | ||||
| City of Tallahassee | The City of Tallahassee’s public transit service provider, StarMetro, will receive funding to replace aging diesel buses with 35-foot Proterra Catalyst fast-charge battery electric buses. The project will add to battery electric buses that are currently in StarMetro's fleet. | $1,000,000 | ||||
| Georgia Department of Transportation | The Macon-Bibb County Transit Authority, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Transportation, will receive funding to purchase battery electric buses and supporting charging infrastructure. By replacing aging diesel vehicles with BYD 35' K9S electric buses, MTA will increase overall fleet efficiency, reduce emissions, and develop the relevant skills and experience necessary to enable future expansion of zero emission buses. | $1,750,000 | ||||
| City and County of Honolulu | Honolulu will receive funding for Gillig battery electric buses with depot chargers in the Honolulu area as their inaugural project to transition their fleet to zero emission. This project is unique in that the buses will be charged during the day to take advantage of the renewable energy made available by the abundant solar and wind energy available on the island. Project partners are Oahu Transit Services, Gillig, Hawaiian Electric Company and the Center for Transportation and the Environment. | $1,450,000 | ||||
| Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) | Des Moines Area Regional Transit will receive funding to purchase all-electric replacement buses and to update supporting electrical infrastructure. Project partners are MidAmerican Energy and Proterra. These vehicles will be the first electric transit buses deployed in Iowa. | $1,450,000 | ||||
| Mountain Rides Transportation Authority | Mountain Rides will purchase heavy-duty, battery electric buses and fast charging infrastructure for its fixed route bus operations in Blaine County, Idaho. This project will begin to fulfill Mountain Rides' goal of moving from diesel powered buses to cleaner, cheaper, easier to maintain battery electric buses. | $500,000 | ||||
| Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System | Connect Transit will receive funding to replace diesel buses used in fixed route service with zero-emission, 40-foot, battery electric buses. Connect will install solar power panels at an existing maintenance facility to support the electric bus deployment and reduce the costs associated with charging the buses. | $1,450,000 | ||||
| Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit | Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit will receive funding to purchase New Flyer 60' zero-emission fuel cell electric buses with supporting hydrogen infrastructure. This project will be the first commercial deployment of articulated fuel cell buses in the US. CUMTD will produce hydrogen on-site partially from renewable sources. | $1,450,000 | ||||
| Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation | IndyGo will receive funding to upgrade electrical infrastructure to charge electric buses at its operations facility. This upgrade supports IndyGo plans to replace all diesel buses with electric buses by 2032. IndyGo's projected fleet will include 143 electric local buses and 56 electric rapid transit buses. | $1,450,000 | ||||
| Transit Authority of Lexington (Lextran) | Lextran will receive funding to purchase battery electric buses and on-route charging stations to service the University of Kentucky campus, City of Lexington, and Fayette County. The purchase will add to Lextran's existing fast-charge fleet as well as introduce extended-range buses, allowing for expanded zero emission service, which will help to achieve both Lextran and UK campus sustainability goals. | $1,000,000 | ||||
| Capital Area Transit System (CATS) | CATS will add new Proterra 35' Catalyst XR electric buses, depot charges, and an on-route fast charger to their bus fleet. The buses will be deployed on the Bus Rapid Transit Florida Boulevard, and Plank Road Routes and the newly planned North Baton Rouge HUB facility allowing several options for expansion. | $500,000 | ||||
| Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government | This project will introduce battery electric fueled buses to the Lafayette Transit System fleet, along with overnight charging stations. The Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government is looking to replace retired diesel fueled buses with Proterra zero emission battery electric fuel buses. The buses will be deployed in areas such as downtown and the University. | $500,000 | ||||
| Massachusetts Department of Transportation | The Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Martha's Vineyard Transit Authority will receive funds to purchase all-electric transit buses and an energy storage system. | $1,200,000 | ||||
| Montgomery County, Maryland | Montgomery County, Maryland will receive funds to purchase Proterra 35' E2 battery electric buses, as well as depot chargers, to replace diesel buses. The buses would be Montgomery County's first zero-emission buses and would be a component of green and sustainable initiatives underway in the county. | $1,750,000 | ||||
| Mass Transportation Authority | The Mass Transportation Authority will receive funds to purchase and deploy electric buses as replacement buses for buses that have met and exceeded their useful life, as well as charging stations to provide the necessary infrastructure to support the fleet of electric vehicles. | $500,000 | ||||
| Metropolitan Council / Metro Transit | Metro Transit will receive funds to replace diesel buses with battery electric buses as well as the needed charging equipment. The buses will be used on the new C Line, which is a rapid bus line. | $1,750,000 | ||||
| Bi-State Development Agency (Metro) | St Louis Metro Transit will receive funds to replace older model diesel buses with battery electric city transit buses in the St Louis region. The goal is to integrate battery electric buses on specific high profile routes in the St Louis downtown and metropolitan area. Battery electric buses will allow Metro to continue to support the region's sustainability and air quality efforts. | $1,450,000 | ||||
| Missoula Urban Transportation District | The two primary public transportation providers in Missoula, MUTD and ASUM-OT, are collaborating in the deployment of electric buses to advance agency goals to convert to clean vehicle technology. As a community that faces severe air quality issues, as well as record growth in transit ridership, this project is well supported by local and regional plans, and will deliver significant benefits to regional air quality. | $500,000 | ||||
| City of Asheville | The City of Asheville will receive funds to acquire 35-foot battery electric buses and chargers. This project will be the catalyst to transition Asheville's transit fleet to 100% zero emission vehicles within 10 years. | $633,333 | ||||
| City of Lincoln, Nebraska | The City of Lincoln will receive funds to purchase electric buses that will replace heavy-duty diesel buses. The new buses will be used on routes that connect residents to employment opportunities. Additionally, electric charging stations, a transformer, and staff training on electric buses will be funded. | $1,450,000 | ||||
| New Jersey Transit | NJ Transit is purchasing Proterra Catalyst electric buses to operate out of the Newton Avenue Garage. These buses will provide best in class fuel efficiency and will produce no local emissions. This will reduce ground level emissions of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and particulates. | $500,000 | ||||
| City of Las Cruces | Building upon local plans, the City of Las Cruces will receive funding to purchase zero-emission buses that will replace aging diesel buses and expand their service area. The bus acquisition helps the city achieve its sustainability goals of economic viability, environmental health, and social responsibility while building a model for future battery electric bus procurements. | $1,450,000 | ||||
| Tahoe Transportation District | Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) will receive funding to expand their electric bus fleet. | $850,000 | ||||
| Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority | Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority will receive funding to purchase electric buses, related maintenance equipment, and the installation of a charging system. These buses will be used for revenue service, replacing older diesel buses, resulting in significant reduction in emissions. | $1,000,000 | ||||
| Stark Area Regional Transit Authority | The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority will receive funding to purchase zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell transit buses sourced directly from ElDorado, supporting a significant leap toward cost-reducing economies of scale and commercialization of the American Fuel Cell Bus. | $1,750,000 | ||||
| Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority | The Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority will receive funding to replace diesel buses with New Flyer electric buses and chargers, and support workforce development. | $797,550 | ||||
| Oregon Department of Transportation | The Oregon Department of Transportation, in partnership with SMART, will receive funding to purchase battery electric buses for fixed routes servicing the City of Wilsonville, Oregon. By replacing aging diesel buses with Proterra 35' E2 electric buses, SMART will increase overall fleet efficiency, reduce emissions, improve ride quality, and develop the relevant skills and experience necessary to enable future expansion of zero-emission buses. | $1,450,000 | ||||
| Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAAC) | PAAC will purchase 40-foot battery electric buses and rapid electric charging stations. The new electric buses will be operated on Port Authority's 88 Penn route serving Pittsburgh's East End. Also included in this project is workforce training and development. | $500,000 | ||||
| South Carolina Department of Transportation | The City of Seneca and Oconee County will purchase 35' Proterra Catalyst zero-emission extended-range battery electric buses to the nation's first all-electric transit bus system. This project is part of a planned all-electric transit service expansion to two municipalities in rural Oconee County. | $1,450,000 | ||||
| Greenville Transit Authority | Greenville TA is partnering with Proterra to purchase battery electric transit buses, overhead and depot chargers, and related equipment and infrastructure. By replacing vehicles that have exceeded their useful life, this project will improve the condition of buses providing regular passenger service, improve air quality, and reduce expenses associated with operating diesel vehicles. | $1,450,000 | ||||
| Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority | Nashville MTA is partnering with Proterra to purchase battery electric transit buses that will operate on the Music City Circuit downtown circulator routes. MTA is extending one of the Music City Circuit routes to connect to Tennessee State University's main campus. | $500,000 | ||||
| City of Lubbock/Citibus | The City of Lubbock and local transit agency Citibus will receive funding to purchase Proterra 40' fast-charge electric buses that will be used on the Texas Tech University campus. The project also includes an on-route fast charger and depot charger. By replacing diesel buses that have exceeded their useful life with battery electric buses, Citibus will reduce overall fleet energy consumption, maintenance costs, and emissions. | $1,750,000 | ||||
| VIA Metropolitan Transit | VIA Metropolitan Transit will receive funding to replace diesel buses with battery electric buses. The new battery electric buses will support urban renewal efforts in the downtown area as well as VIA’s workforce development program. VIA’s use of 100% renewable grid power ensures the battery electric buses will truly be zero emissions. | $1,750,000 | ||||
| Utah Department of Transportation | Park City Transit will purchase long-range battery electric 35' Proterra Catalyst E2 buses with depot chargers to replace diesel buses. The electric buses will help create a Resort Connector Express route, providing high-frequency service to major activity and employment areas. The fully electric RCX would also connect to the newly implemented fully electric Bus Rapid Transit route. | $500,000 | ||||
| Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads | Hampton Roads Transit will purchase 40-ft Proterra Catalyst E2 Extended Range Electric Buses and associated Depo Plug-in Chargers. These buses have the benefit of improving air quality by eliminating dangerous particulate emissions, and results in a savings of 14.5 million pounds of carbon emissions during the useful life of the buses. | $500,000 | ||||
| Vermont Agency of Transportation | The Vermont Agency of Transportation will receive funding to purchase electric buses. The project is a collaborative effort that includes a local utility, bus company, state, as well as a private energy company and will support reduced energy consumption & emissions. Buses will be deployed at Green Mountain Transit in Burlington, Vermont. | $480,000 | ||||
| Kitsap County Public Transportation Benefit Area Authority | Kitsap Transit will receive funding to replace diesel buses with battery electric buses and charging infrastructure. In 2016, KT dedicated local funding to the demonstration of one battery electric bus in its service area located in Kitsap County, WA. KT is collaborating with Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, Puget Sound Energy, and EV Support to analyze the advanced technology buses and infrastructure. | $1,000,000 | ||||
| City of Madison | Metro Transit will receive funding to purchase 40' battery electric buses that will replace diesel buses. The project will begin the fleet transition to all electric buses. The City of Madison has a goal to convert the fleet to 50% electric by 2035. | $1,278,950 | ||||
| Total | $54,992,016 | |||||
Eligible recipients included transit agencies, state transportation departments, and Indian tribes. Projects were selected on a competitive basis using evaluation criteria outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, such as community needs, project benefits, and local technical and financial capacity.
The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, passed by Congress and signed into law in December 2015, authorizes FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program, which includes the Low or No Emission Grants Program, through FY 2020.
This (good) project is biased against H2 buses and 95% pro e-buses.
However, there are a few $$$ going (sprinkeled) to many places.
When recent GHG related major storms do close to $1T/year of damages, $55M to fight it looks very small
Posted by: HarveyD | 17 September 2017 at 09:41 AM
While the amounts are modest the affect is that many new entries are enabled.
Seed money can create industry in many forms including technicians training as well as a good spread of market variables from which useful understanding can be obtained.
With many entrants with presumably little experience of implementing these changes a second round of contingency and associated expenditures funding and support services seems a sensible consideration.
Posted by: Arnold | 17 September 2017 at 05:57 PM
It can make the difference between buying the buses or not.
Posted by: SJC | 17 September 2017 at 07:59 PM
Want know what we are talking about? ...use this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JpMTWdPZ6c
Posted by: Lad | 17 September 2017 at 11:15 PM