More and more U.S. transit agencies are rolling out electric buses, and the recently approved federal infrastructure bill could make it easier than ever to buy zero emission electric buses.
Dan Zukowski reports for Smart Cities Dive:
A silent revolution is underway on city streets as transit agencies large and small replace noisy, polluting diesel buses with clean, quiet electric vehicles. But agencies and bus manufacturers alike warn that the transition is not as simple as signing a procurement order for new battery-powered buses.
Calstart, a national nonprofit focused on advancing clean transportation technology, gathers data on the state of electric buses every year. CalStart's latest report, published on January 5, 2022, documents big growth in the number of Zero Emissions Buses (ZEBs) on the roads. "Full-size ZEBs have grown to 3,533 buses nationally, an increase of 27% since the 2020 count," according to the press release announcing the report.
Zukowski, however, focuses on Calstart's data on Battery Electric Buses (BEBs): " The number of battery-electric transit buses (BEBs) currently on order or operating in the U.S. grew 112% from 2018 to 2021," according to Zukowski. "California leads the nation with almost 1,400 on the road or on order, followed by Washington, New York and Florida."
As noted by both the article and the press release, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) passed last year by Congress could accelerate the adoptions of ZEBs and BEBs. The IIJA "increased funding for the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Low or No Emission Vehicle Grant Program and for the Buses and Bus Facilities Program, under which transit agencies can procure zero-emission buses," reports Zukowski.
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