CA Agency May Scrap Electric Bus Fleet After Elect

Quote:

---

The electric bus idea is going down in flames – literally.

A California transit official said electric buses manufactured by Proterra are melting in the California heat.

One electric bus caught fire while it was charging and the agency said the electric buses are just too expensive to fix.

---

Quote:

---

More than two dozen electric Proterra buses first unveiled by the city of Philadelphia in 2016 are already out of operation, according to a WHYY investigation.

The entire fleet of Proterra buses was removed from the roads by SEPTA, the city's transit authority, in February 2020 due to both structural and logistical problems—the weight of the powerful battery was cracking the vehicles' chassis, and the battery life was insufficient for the city's bus routes. The city raised the issues with Proterra, which failed to adequately address the city's concerns.

The city paid $24 million for the 25 new Proterra buses, subsidized in part by a $2.6 million federal grant. Philadelphia defended the investment with claims that the electric buses would require less maintenance than standard combustion engine counterparts.

---