NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Proterra, the leading maker of zero-emission commercial transit solutions, has signed an agreement with StarMetro, the transit provider in Tallahassee, Fla., to deliver three new EcoRide zero-emission transit buses and a charging station. The contract stems from a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant received by StarMetro to pursue fast-charge, electric transit buses and charging stations.
“StarMetro realizes that the future of the commercial transit industry lies in zero-emission solutions, and they are on the leading edge by taking steps to future-proof their fleet,” said David Bennett, chief executive officer for Proterra. “Proterra provides the best in the industry for fast-charging battery electric buses with our EcoRide bus taking less than 10 minutes to fully charge. With EcoRide, Proterra can help transit agencies reduce their operating costs with the added benefit of emissions-free, low-noise operation.”
Six other major urban transit agencies received similar FTA grants. Foothill Transit in Pomona, Calif., is already operating three EcoRide buses and VIA San Antonio Transit will be deploying its EcoRide buses later this year. The four other agencies that will be issuing requests for proposal are Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) in Reno, Nev., King County Metro Transit in Seattle, Wash., Chicago Transit Authority and Fresno Area Express (FAX) in Fresno, Calif.
In addition to its unmatched energy efficiency and overall cost savings, Proterra’s clean transit solutions offer California transit agencies a way to address the Zero Emission Bus (Zbus) rule, which requires large California agencies to purchase 15 percent of their annual bus orders as zero-emission buses starting in 2012.
Proterra will manufacture the new orders at its current assembly line plant in Greenville, S.C. Proterra and StarMetro plan to have the buses in service by the spring of 2012.
With manufacturing in Greenville, S.C., Proterra is a leading designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty electric drive systems, energy storage systems, vehicle control systems, transit buses and fast-charging stations. Proterra’s systems are scalable to all forms of commercial buses. Its ground-up designs have led to the EcoRide, the world’s first full-size, 10-minute charge transit bus. For more information on Proterra and its technology, please visit: www.proterra.com.