Detroit public transit system adds 4 electric buses to fleet
The Detroit Department of Transportation added four electric buses to its fleet on Monday as part of a pilot program for greener technology.
California-based Proterra, an electric bus manufacturer, provided the fleet, which will be charged up at the Shoemaker Terminal on Detroit's east side. Mikel Oglesby, Detroit's transit director, said the buses will deploy on the Woodward and Mack lines and eventually spread to other lines in the city.
The milestone of investing in "more advanced" technologies hits 100 years after the city took over municipal operations of trolley systems in 1922, Oglesby said. The system also began then with two lines.
"Bringing electric buses to the city of Detroit is good for all residents whether they ride the bus or not," Oglesby said. "They're quieter than a standard bus. They produce fewer emissions than a standard bus, which means cleaner air. They're cheaper to maintain than the standard bus so you can take those resources and put them back into other things like additional drivers (and) technology. The potential is limitless."
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Oglesby said the city has been exploring electric buses since 2004 through Proterra, which delivered its first zero-emission electric transit vehicle more than a decade ago, according to Ken Becker, regional sales director.
"Each time a Proterra battery-electric bus replaces a diesel bus, 230,000 pounds of carbon pollution are avoided each year, along with other pollutants known to harm human health," Becker said.
Buses are funded through a federal grant, costing at least $800,000 per vehicle. Diesel buses cost about $550,000, Oglesby added.
Joel Howrani Heeres, Detroit's sustainability director, said the city's "draft goal" is to transition half of the city's fleet to electric by 2034, though it has not been codified.
"Vehicle emissions are about 30% of our overall city emissions, from everything, not just city fleet. We know that transitioning to cleaner fuels will improve air quality and thus reduce incidences of asthma, which is one item that we're tracking in the sustainability action agenda," Howrani Heeres said.
DDOT has 288 vehicles, not including the four electric buses. Oglesby said he could easily see the city investing in more electric vehicles, if grants are available, but he would need to factor in the charging infrastructure and finding space to store the buses.
Electric buses are expected to last 200 to 300 miles on a charge, Oglesby said, adding that diesel buses can typically travel for about 200 miles. The goal is to ensure each electric bus can travel for at least 250 miles a day per charge.
"We want to see if these buses perform the same as our clean diesel buses. That's really the ultimate goal," Oglesby said. "I'm confident that they can but we're going to test them in good old Detroit weather."
The city is also investing in an $18.6-million transit center at the old State Fairgrounds. Along with a bus hub, it will include an outdoor park and access to small retail and pop-up businesses.
Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact Dana: dafana@freepress.com or 313-635-3491. Follow her on Twitter: @DanaAfana.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit transit system adds 4 electric buses to its fleet
