Proterra Inc, a leading innovator in commercial vehicle electrification technology, and Pace Suburban Bus today announced a landmark fleet electrification project with the agency awarding a $26.5 million dollar contract to Proterra to acquire 20 Proterra ZX5 Max electric transit buses, featuring more than 13 megawatt hours of battery storage energy, and two Proterra megawatt-scale fleet chargers.
Pace is the transportation backbone of Chicago’s suburbs and one of the largest public bus service operators in North America, serving an area nearly the size of the state of Connecticut – further demonstrating Proterra’s industry-leading vehicle range to meet the needs of transit agency fleets.
“Proterra is delighted to be Pace’s partner to bring our industry-leading fleet electrification solutions to the Chicagoland area. With our purpose-built vehicle platform and best in class range, we are excited to help drive the region’s switch to zero-emission, electric transportation,” said John Walsh, Proterra’s Chief Commercial Officer.
“As transit agencies across the country begin to purchase electric buses, we are excited to be able to get our first order for electric buses in the queue. This puts us ahead of our anticipated schedule and will allow us to get electric buses on the road even sooner,” said Pace Executive Director Melinda J. Metzger.
Pace’s transition to a zero-emission fleet is a key initiative of their new strategic vision plan, Driving Innovation. While Pace by its very nature as a transit agency helps reduce transportation-related emissions by taking cars off the road, Pace is committed to moving away from fossil fuels and do its part to address the climate crisis in a fiscally responsible, taxpayer friendly way.
Designed and manufactured in the United States, Proterra’s electric transit buses are equipped with the company’s industry-leading battery technology systems. The 40-foot Proterra ZX5 Max selected by Pace features 675 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy storage, the most onboard energy storage available in an electric transit bus on the road in North America today.
With more than 800 vehicles on the road today, Proterra battery systems have been proven over 25 million service miles driven and selected by world-class commercial vehicle manufacturers to electrify delivery vehicles, construction equipment, school buses, coach buses, and more. Proterra Transit battery-electric buses feature zero tailpipe emissions, saving approximately 230,000 pounds of greenhouse gases annually when replacing a diesel bus. The company’s fleet of zero-emission, electric transit buses have displaced over 140 million pounds of CO2 tailpipe emissions.
In addition to the company’s Proterra Transit and Proterra Powered business units, Proterra Energy offers a turn-key approach to delivering the complete energy ecosystem for heavy-duty electric fleets through charging infrastructure design, build, financing, operations, maintenance and energy optimization.