Pace Suburban Bus orders its first e-buses from Proterra
In the USA, public transit agency Pace Suburban Bus that services the Chicago area, has awarded a $26.5 million dollar contract (worth around 24.26 million euros) to Proterra to acquire 20 Proterra ZX5 Max electric transit buses and two Proterra megawatt-scale fleet chargers. The first Proterra electric buses are slated to be delivered to Pace in 2023.
The 40-foot Proterra ZX5 Max selected by Pace batteries with 675 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy storage. Proterra says that this is the most onboard energy storage available in an electric transit bus on the road in North America today.
Chicago’s public transit provider Pace is aiming to transition to a zero-emission fleet by 2040. While transitioning its bus fleet off fossil fuels is a key initiative of Pace’s new strategic vision plan, titled Driving Innovation, this order is its very first of emission-free buses. Pace says it is committed to moving away from fossil fuels and do its part to address the climate crisis “in a fiscally responsible, taxpayer-friendly way”.
“Proterra is delighted to be Pace’s partner to bring our industry-leading fleet electrification solutions to the Chicagoland area. With our purpose-built vehicle platform and best in class range, we are excited to help drive the region’s switch to zero-emission, electric transportation,” said John Walsh, Proterra’s Chief Commercial Officer.
For their part, Proterra was an early player on the scene with electric buses delivering its first electric bus in 2010, which has put the company in good stead to cater to the surge in interest in emission-free transport services. The company now also provides a number of other commercial vehicle companies with truck and bus batteries. Globally, the largest provider of electric buses is the Chinese company BYD, which also has a manufacturing plant in the US. Recently the company suffered a blow that is very likely to greatly benefit Proterra, when the US government recently excluded the Chinese company from public funding orders.
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