TriMet advances plans to triple electric bus fleet by end of 2024
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — TriMet has welcomed a “new generation” to its fleet of electric buses, taking another step toward its goal of operating all battery-powered vehicles by 2040.
Four new buses arrived at TriMet’s Columbia Operations Facility earlier in February, and the transit service said a total of 24 will be delivered by the end of the year.
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The zero-emissions vehicles traveled a total of 650 miles from Livermore, Calif., where bus manufacturing company Gillig is based.
According to TriMet, battery-powered buses are popular among riders because they offer a quieter, smoother and more eco-friendly form of transportation.
The transportation organization introduced its first generation of electric buses in 2019. Those buses were “short-range”, and required a charge in between each route. The second generation of buses debuted later in 2021, with a longer driving range.
TriMet reported that its most recent additions retain 33% more energy capacity, and it projects they will have a 150-mile driving range.
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“Unlike our previous long-range buses, these new buses have overhead charge rails that will allow them to be easily hooked up to TriMet’s fast charging stations in Beaverton, as well as charging ports they’ll use at our Powell Operations Facility in Southeast Portland, where they initially will be housed,” Public Information Officer Mark Miller said of the latest generation.
He added that TriMet has installed plug-in chargers to accommodate each bus that will arrive in the coming months.
But the transit service plans to test how far the Gillig vehicles can travel at once, how they are impacted by Portland traffic and if local weather conditions influence battery life.
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With 24 new buses expected by the end of the year, this will be the transit service’s largest addition of electric buses thus far. TriMet said this will more than triple its total electric bus fleet.
The new buses should be in service by September.
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