Electric buses heading to South Lake Tahoe; Docking station at LTCC Mobility Hub

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There are two new groups of buses heading to South Lake Tahoe, one bringing 35-foot overhead electrically-charged buses and the other bringing 16-passenger battery-charged buses.

The Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) has received a grant for $2.1 million grant to help bring new electric buses to South Lake Tahoe. During their meeting Friday in Incline Village, the Board approved the purchase of three battery-electric buses, two pedestal chargers and two overhead chargers, all to be done through grant funds.

The new buses cannot function without an overhead charging station. In partnership with Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC), a Mobility Hub is being built and nearing completion. This hub will hold the overhead chargers. The new electric buses will hook up to these chargers overnight. The new LTCC Mobility Hub is expected to be completed by Fall 2019 with the 35-foot electric buses and electrical activation in service by Summer 2020.

Liberty Utilities is also a partner in getting the hub functional.

TTD is purchasing the buses from Proterra, an electric bus company based in Burlingame, California. Initially, the Proterra buses will be used within the greater South Lake Tahoe area on routes 50 and 55. Various service trials will occur periodically to gauge how the buses will perform on differing geography and duty cycles.

According to TTD, these new vehicles will help improve fleet reliability, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Lake Tahoe basin, provide a clean and quiet
solution for neighborhood transit, and reduce operating costs while helping them comply with the California Air Resources Board’s Innovative Clean Transit rule years before it is required.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) gave $84.9 million in grants through their Low- or No-Emission (Low-No) Grant to projects in 38 states. $2.1M of the project came from this grant and the remaining $1.67M needed came from other grant funds previously awarded TTD. Staff at the bi-state Lake Tahoe transportation agency has been working since early in 2017 on getting bids together on the buses and planning the South Lake Tahoe-based program.

South Lake Tahoe City Councilman Cody Bass, who sits on the TTD Board, asked that charging stations at both the Stateline Transit Center and the Y be looked at as well. Staff said there were issues at the transit center due to underground parking for the Marriott but they will continue to explore that option.

During the same meeting, the Board voted to approve the purchase four Phoenix Zero Emissions Utility Shuttle (ZEUS) battery electric buses and associated charging equipment, and their installation. The price tag on this system is $1.2M, paid primarily through grant funds.

TTD is in need of replacement fleet for existing small cutaway buses used with para-transit and other 16-passenger vehicle needs. With the passage of the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) rule in 2018, public transit agencies must begin transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, with a requirement of 100 percent zero-emission fleets by 2040.

These vehicles have a driving range of 110 miles (roughly eight hours) before charging is needed. They will hook up at the TTD facility on Shop Street in South Lake Tahoe. They last about five years, depending on use and remaining battery life.

"Love the idea of electrical," said Bass during the meeting.

Once the contract is finalized with Phoenix it will be seven-to-eight months before the buses will be in service.