LOCAL

CLEANER, QUIETER: TCAT gets $2.3 million grant for electric buses, charging stations

Matt Steecker
ithacajournal.com
  • New electric buses will charge overnight, take six to nine hours for full jolt.
  • Annual fuel savings over diesel: $5,000 to $10,000 per bus.
A TCAT bus stops in Collegetown.

Three smoky diesel buses will soon be replaced with three quieter, cleaner electric buses.

TCAT has been awarded a $2.3 million public transportation grant it will use to buy the new buses and charging stations.

"The team at TCAT was delighted to learn that we're the recipient of the $2.3 million federal grant that was recently submitted," TCAT Board Chairman Frank Proto said. "The funds will put us on track as a community to purchase three electric buses and charging stations, and get us closer to our goal of reducing carbon emissions further."

The buses cost $878,000 each and the charging stations cost $105,000 each, including installation, said Scot  Vanderpool, general manager of TCAT. The annual fuel cost savings range from $5,000 to $10,000 per bus.

"(There is) quite a difference inside and outside," Vanderpool said of the electric versus diesel comparison.

Compared to a traditional diesel bus, the approximate operational savings for the electric bus over its 12-year life expectancy is approximately $450,000, according to Proterra, the company that manufactures the buses.

"This grant will provide for an educational opportunity for staff, and add to the local support for the technology," Proto said.

The buses will initially be charged overnight and will take six to nine hours to charge.

"This will save us from charging at a time when there is peak utility usage, and therefore additional charging costs," Venderpool said.

TCAT has 54 buses and provides 33 routes in Tompkins County. There are no immediate plans to change or add routes.

"We are always looking to the future, and our goal is to do our best to accommodate the mobility needs of our community," Vanderpol said. "We constantly assess our service as it relates to the changing landscape, and will make the necessary changes to our routes based on ridership and demand. Adding service and changing existing service, if necessary, is certainly a possibility for the future."  

TCAT intends to switch its whole fleet to electric buses eventually.

"That’s the current plan, but that is going to take some time," Vanderpool said.

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