Talking Headways Podcast: The Battery Powered Electric Bus

By Jeff Wood
Apr 20, 2017

This week I’m chatting with Matt Horton of Proterra, a company that designs and manufactures battery powered electric buses. We cover the basics of electric buses, power consumption and recharging, the benefits and costs, as well as potential environmental effects.

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Electric buses like these are being deployed in pilot programs around the country, although some models have had a limited range because of the strength of their batteries. Image: MTA

To Get Electric Buses, We Need a New Electric Grid

By Kea Wilson | Aug 14, 2020

Electric buses have struggled to gain a foothold in the U.S. because their batteries aren't strong enough to travel on our sprawling roads. The answer, according to one company: build mini power-plants along the route.

The humble bus needs our support, now more than ever. Image: Jonathan Riley

Congress To Bar Chinese E-Buses and Rail Cars

By Aaron Short | Dec 12, 2019

A federal "Buy American" provision just screwed U.S. transit agencies. Thanks, Congress.

Why Are We Still Waiting for Electric Buses?

By Angie Schmitt | Dec 7, 2018

In China, fleets of super-efficient electric buses roam cities. In the U.S. we're just getting started.

Source: Jason Lawrence via Creative Commons.

Op-Ed: Do Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses Make Sense for Cities?

By Eleanor Jackson | Aug 25, 2020

Battery-powered electric vehicles make up the lion's share of U.S. fleets. Could hydrogen-powered vehicles play a role?

US DOT Will Double the Nation’s Electric Bus Fleet (But It Will Still Be Tiny)

By Kea Wilson | Aug 16, 2022

Some of the money will go to supercharge the construction of green transit facilities and programs to train workers on new technologies, but federal officials emphasized that the vast majority will go towards the purchase of clean vehicles themselves.

Obama Administration Sends $100M in Stimulus Aid to 43 Transit Agencies

By Elana Schor | Sep 21, 2009

The U.S. DOT announced today that 43 local transit agencies from more than two dozen states would share the $100 million in competitive clean-transport grants included in this winter’s $787 billion economic stimulus law. Atlanta’s transit system, pictured above, won $10.8 million in stimulus aid. (Photo: Atlanta MetBlogs) The big winners in the bid for […]