EDITORIALS

Editorial: A bigger charge out of CAT

Staff Writer
Savannah Morning News

Credit the Chatham Area Transit board for making a serious effort at converting its fleet of mostly diesel-powered buses to cleaner and more efficient electric buses.

As part of this long-term effort, CAT is borrowing a zero-emission, battery-powered bus from Proterra, a bus-maker based in Greenville, S.C. The bus will be employed on some local CAT bus routes. Eventually, Proterra hopes to sell eight similar buses to CAT, so this borrowed bus is similar to a loaner.

Unlike hybrid buses which are powered by a combination of electric and diesel motors, the Proterra bus runs completely off battery power. These buses are said to be among the quietest and cleanest on the market.

The biggest drawback to the new technology is costs. Studies show that the cost of a traditional diesel bus can range from about $450,000 to $750,000 depending on the characteristics of the bus. Electric buses can cost about $300,000 more, including the cost of the infrastructure.

Another drawback is "range anxiety" - the limited distance that buses can travel between charges. Hence, there's a need for ways to rapidly recharge buses on the longer routes.

However, electric buses generally are less expensive to maintain than diesel buses, and are less costly in terms of fuel (diesel or CNG vs. electricity).

A study of the massive New York City Transit System done by Columbia University showed that switching from diesel to electric buses saves money over time and results in less pollution, which decreases heart and lung diseases. In New York, Columbia's researchers noted that each electric bus cut health-care costs in the city by $150,000 per year.

Locally, it's hard to predict the level of any health-care savings, but the electric buses definitely don't belch smoke and fumes like their diesel counterparts. For that reason, they will be like a breath of fresh air on local bus routes.

As far as local operational cost-savings are concerned, CAT believes it will save about $150,000 per electric bus over the costs associated with a traditional diesel bus over a 12-year-lifespan, which is the typical lifespan of a transit bus.

Thus, this is one time where going green means saving some green, which is smart management.

While CAT expects to receive word on whether it received funding for the eight electric buses under the FTA's 2017 No-Low grant program sometime in September, CAT Director Curtis Kolber told a group of riders present for Monday's electric bus demonstration that one way or the other, electric vehicles are in the agency's future.

Many transit systems across the nation are making the switch to electric buses for fiscal and environmental reasons. Like with electric cars, the technology for electric buses is getting better, too.

CAT has already been cleared by the state of Georgia to use $4.6 million from the state's GO! Transit grant program to buy three electric buses, and a rapid charger, along with three diesel buses. CAT board members have also adopted a system-wide policy of near-term and long-term emission reduction for the transit system that limits all of their future fleet purchases to low or no emission vehicles.

Longtime CAT bus driver Earl Mason is a big fan of the switch. "The buses were totally different 23 years ago," Mr. Mason said. "But each time we get new buses, we step up."

Bus riders should appreciate the step up to a cleaner, quieter bus fleet. So should taxpayers who want cleaner air and more efficient delivery of public services.