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Road to zero-emission buses proves challenging for Minnesota transit agencies - MinnPost
Vendor issues, performance in subzero temperatures and charging station maintenance are among the challenges transit agencies face as they try to decarbonize their fleets.
www.minnpost.com
Who knew EV wasn't a one-size-fits-all solution to CO2 reduction everywhere, for all applications? Except those of us in the business. Politicians that don't listen to experts cause a lot of problems for all of us. I'm not "anti-EV", neither am I in a pro-EV cult of ignorance.
"Both the Twin Cities and Duluth have had problems with their battery-electric buses. For one, they can’t go as far as their builders advertised, in part because of the cold weather. Metro Transit’s accordion electric buses were touted to go 150 miles on a single charge. “Using garage chargers alone, electric buses can remain in service for 70 to 75 miles before needing to return to the garage; with on-route chargers, electric buses were scheduled to be in service for up to 90 miles before returning to the garage,” Metro Transit spokesperson Drew Kerr said.
Metro Transit’s battery-electric buses are also less reliable than their diesel-fueled counterparts. A September 2023 presentation to the Met Council’s Transportation Committee showed the battery-electric buses broke down twice as often. The buses were also unable to meet 20% of their scheduled operating miles because they needed battery replacements, which were performed under warranty amid supply chain issues.
Duluth also had problems with its battery-electric bus fleet. Between April 2019 and February 2020, the fleet averaged 7,717 miles between breakdowns, four times as often compared to their diesel counterparts. The buses struggled to make it up the city’s storied steep hills and to keep riders warm in the winter. Proterra’s technicians ultimately installed diesel-fired heaters and retooled their buses."