'Very exciting times': Blue Water Area Transit adds 2 electric buses to fleet

Blue Water Area Transit unveiled two new electric buses on Wednesday, making it the state’s first public transit agency to include them in its fleet. 

Dave McElroy, BWAT’s general manager, said it was the start of a long process to replace all the agency’s 80 buses, which run on compressed natural gas.

But it's too soon to know how long that will take, with officials noting it is part of a much larger, multi-agency clean emissions goal. 

“We do have somewhat of a newer fleet, so we’ll be replacing buses, typically, and not buying new buses because the funding’s there to replace,” McElroy said, referring to the electric buses. “These are 12-year buses.”

The two electric buses were primarily financed through a $1.5 million Low or No Emission Program grant from the Federal Transit Administration in 2018 and the Michigan Department of Transportation, according to BWAT. 

The agency partnered with Proterra, an electric bus manufacturer, and DTE Energy on the project.

Ken Becker, Proterra’s Midwest sales director, was among several who credited retired or absent BWAT staff with bringing the buses to fruition, adding “there are years behind this project.”  

In an earlier statement, Linda Bruckner, who chairs the transit commission board, said the transition to electric buses was a “continuation” of earlier BWAT commitments to the environment, clean air and service — just as the natural gas fleet once was.

BWAT first in the state to add electric buses, officials say

Multiple state, local, and business officials said BWAT is the state’s first public transit agency to operate electric buses in its fleet, though the distinction may not last long.

Becker said Proterra is also working with Metro Detroit agencies, including the Detroit Department of Transportation and the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, or SMART, which both have “four buses coming,” as well as the Wayne County airport.

“It’s happening, and it’s happening fast,” Becker said. “Very exciting times.”

Lynn Felcyn, electrification program manager for DTE, said she was “enamored” with electric buses.

“At a time when the transportation sector attributes 29% of carbon emissions in the nation — more than any other economic sector in the United States — imagine seeing a shiny new bus that has no stain, less noise, and can certainly benefit everybody in the community. That's the vision,” she said. “We're all here today to celebrate.”

Felcyn said the BWAT collaboration was another step toward those larger clean energy goals, which she called “meaningful at DTE.” She said the company’s goal was to reduce carbon emissions by half over the next 10 years, and in line with the state’s goal, look to a “net-zero carbon future in 2050.”

Kathryn Snorrason, managing director with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s office of future mobility and electrification, said she supported the private-public partnerships that resulted in efforts such as at BWAT.

Snorrason added Wednesday’s unveiling highlights how the “landscape continues to evolve” with the technology and also improve the quality of life for state residents.

“By replacing these diesel buses with electric options here in Port Huron, you're helping to reduce your impact on the environment, while generating long-term savings and smoothing out the energy demand on the grid," she said. 

What are the buses' logistics?

Becker said BWAT's new buses are fifth-generation battery-electric vehicles from Proterra and a culmination work having “learned a lot in the last 11 years,” though he added they’ve “a long road ahead of us” to integrate them more into service.

The buses’ batteries, he said, are located “under the floor outside the passenger area between the axles.”                              

“And if you know anything about batteries, they’re heavy,” Becker said. “So, to have all that center of gravity in the middle of the bus is something that results in what we call a purpose-built battery-electric bus.”

Becker said they’re also maintained at an operating temperature around 72 degrees to keep them from getting too hot or cold, depending on the weather.

McElroy said he expected the new buses to be on the road sometime in August. He wasn’t sure what route they’d appear on but said, “We have some thoughts. We’re going to run them extensively to make sure everything works out.”

“We have extensive training to do, and we’re constructing an overhead charging station downtown. We have parts of it here. … It’s going to be a bit of time,” he said.

There is already an overnight charger station at the bus facility on Lapeer Avenue, he said. “Takes about three to four hours to charge them, and the one downtown is just in case you start getting low – just to top it off.”  

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.