EV Buses -- Minnesota Update -- Proterra, Here We Go Again -- September 3, 2021

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Or go direct here.

DULUTH — Ambitious plans to electrify Minnesota transit bus fleets have thus far run headlong into technological problems.

For several years, Duluth and the Twin Cities transit systems have been testing electric buses in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint and air pollution. For the most part, they’re a hit among riders and drivers.

“They’re alright, [a] little more comfortable and a little roomy,” said Cruz Mendoza, a high school teacher, as he rode a bus on his way to a Goodwill in Duluth.

Although the ride is smooth, the transition has been anything but. Duluth recently resolved an array of problems, while Metro Transit’s fleet has been grounded since March of this year because of ongoing problems with their chargers. 

Electric buses in both cities also can’t go as far as a diesel bus in freezing winters, according to transit officials in Duluth, the Twin Cities and Winnipeg.

South Carolina-made Proterra buses were failing on steep hills in Duluth. The buses have experienced cracked chassis that forced Philadelphia’s transit agency to mothball their share of Proterras, although both the manufacturer and the Duluth Transit Agency say the cracks are cosmetic.

Proterra spent years working with Duluth — which has procured seven electric buses — to address the issues, embedding a technician in Duluth for weeks to fix the problem.

Search Proterra on the blog here. 

I guess we might as well use this post as the site to track Proterra. It looks like this story has legs even if the buses don't have promise.