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Proterra’s big electric bus can go 1,102 miles on one charge

Proterra’s big electric bus can go 1,102 miles on one charge

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The company says the new bus set a record for electric vehicles

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Proterra Catalyst E2 Max
Proterra Catalyst E2 Max
Proterra

With cities and countries about to put bans on internal combustion engines in the next couple of decades, electric bus technology needs to advance. Proterra thinks it just proved it’s already there.

On Tuesday, the California-based company said its Catalyst E2 Max went 1,102.2 miles on a single charge, a world record for the longest distance traveled by an electric vehicle without recharging. The test was performed at Navistar’s proving grounds in Indiana, and the results were confirmed by that company.

“For our heavy-duty electric bus to break the previous world record of 1,013.76 miles — which was set by a light-duty passenger EV 46 times lighter than the Catalyst E2 max — is a major feat,” Matt Horton, Proterra’s chief commercial officer, said in the news release. 

The E2 Max hides a 660kWh battery in a 40-foot bus

The E2 Max uses a 660kWh battery and hides it in the 40-foot-long bus body. By comparison, a Tesla Model S P100D has a 100kWh battery to achieve a 315-mile range. Hyundai recently announced the Elec City bus that has a 180-mile range from a 256kWh battery, but it can be fully charged in one hour.

No transit agencies are using an E2 Max, however, according to the Los Angeles Times. Proterra is selling a model with a 350-mile range, and last year, agreed to supply Foothill Transit in Southern California with a 35-foot model with a 35-mile range that can be recharged in 10 minutes.

“Early electric bus adopters like our first customer, Foothill Transit, have paved the way for future heavy-duty applications, like motor coaches and commercial truck,” Proterra CEO Ryan Popple said. “As we see incumbents and more companies enter the heavy-duty EV market, it has become very apparent that the future is all-electric, and the sun is setting on combustion engine technology.”

You may not own a car, but the bus you get on soon could be electric.