Tallahassee's StarMetro orders all-electric buses

Tallahassee’s StarMetro has signed a contract with Proterra Inc. for the construction of three brand new, zero emission, all-electric buses and a charging station.

Ron Garrison of StarMetro

Ron Garrison, executive director of StarMetro, told BUSRide: “We’ve been talking with Proterra for a couple of years. As the technology developed we thought it would be perfect for Tallahassee. The city has the most advanced smart grid system in the country. We’ve won awards for being green and sustainable. It fits who we are from a point of technology.”

Garrison added that the new buses could be on the streets serving customers by spring 2012.

“By replacing three of our diesel transit buses with all-electric buses, StarMetro would realize the elimination of almost 260 tons of carbon dioxide annually,” he said. “It’ll probably cost in fuel over the life time of a bus between $750,000 and $1,000,000. With an electric bus like this you could probably do it for $80,000 to $100,000. On top of that, we’re going to work with Proterra to try to triple charge the fueling stations so it cost even less.”

“We are thrilled to be working with StarMetro on this deployment,” said Marc Gottschalk, chief business development officer for Proterra. “They are on the leading edge of transit agencies who recognize that battery electric buses are the best option to combat unpredictable fossil fuel prices while providing passengers a clean, quiet ride to their destination.”

Last year, the Federal Transit Administration awarded StarMetro over $5 million dollars in monies from the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) II grant to pursue all-electric buses.

Proterra Incorporated developed and has deployed the world’s first battery electric transit bus that can charge to full power in under ten minutes. Its first fleet is in operation at Foothill Transit in Pomona, Calif. The next two locations where its electric buses will become operational are San Antonio, Texas, and Tallahassee.