RENO, Nevada – Today, Abaris Training Resources, Inc., announced the completion of the ninth training class for Proterra, a leading innovator in heavy-duty electric transportation. The training is a joint effort designed to teach structural composite repairs to Proterra’s more than 100 North American metro-transit customers. The most recent class was held January 7-9, 2020 for the Toronto Transit Commission in Toronto, Canada and another class is scheduled in May for the Edmonton Transit Service in Edmonton, Canada.
Proterra is the only transit bus manufacturer to use composite material for its buses. Proterra’s unique bus body utilizes carbon-fiber-reinforced composites in the construction, resulting in a lightweight, impact-absorbing and corrosion-resistant vehicle. Unlike steel bus frames, Proterra’s unique composite material maximizes vehicle performance and life while minimizing repairs and maintenance.
“The lightweight composite material we use to build our battery-electric buses removes 4,000 pounds of weight compared to a typical metal bus frame and chassis, which allows us to store more energy on board and increase the range of the bus to meet the daily route needs of transit agencies,” said Proterra CEO Ryan Popple. “Having a composite body is what helped us exceed the world record for longest distance driven by an electric vehicle on a single charge – 1,101.2 miles with 660 kWh of energy storage.”
Proterra partners with Abaris to offer a thorough, multi-day training class for structural composite maintenance for all of its customers. The three-day classes offer a mix of classroom and hands-on repair practice in the shop.
“Our Proterra training consists of discussions about reinforcement materials (i.e.: stitched and random mat, etc.), material safety, repair design considerations, adhesive bonding to both composite and metals, fastener installation, resins and other fibers,” said Michael Meringolo, primary Abaris technical instructor on the program. “The shop work consists of three repairs: minor impact (typically outer skin and slight core damage), medium energy impact to the outer skin and full depth core, and high energy, structure impact damage, consisting of removing the outer skin and core to gain access to the inner skin, repair of the inner skin, core fill, and repair of the outer skin.”
This ongoing training effort has successfully trained dozens of mechanics since its inception in 2016 and is scheduled to continue into the new decade.
About Abaris:
Abaris is the world leader in advanced composite training and services, having served industry since 1983 with courses offerings in the engineering and design, manufacturing, repair and nondestructive inspection of composite structures. Abaris also offers onsite training at customer locations and can provide customized training and consultation for those customers needing specialized support. For more information please visit https://www.abaris.com.
About Proterra:
Proterra is a leader in the design and manufacture of zero-emission, heavy-duty electric vehicles, enabling bus fleet operators to significantly reduce operating costs while delivering clean, quiet transportation to local communities across North America. The company’s configurable Catalyst® platform is designed to serve the daily mileage needs of a wide range of transit routes on a single charge. With industry-leading durability and energy efficiency based on rigorous U.S. independent testing, Proterra products are proudly designed, engineered and manufactured in America, with offices in Silicon Valley, South Carolina, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit: http://www.proterra.com and follow us on Twitter @Proterra_Inc.