#Energy
#SP3637

Electrifying Bus Fleets in Charlotte, NC – (Pilot Program)
https://charlottenc.gov/newsroom/cityhighlights/Pages/Electric-Bus-Pilot.aspx
- Public-private partnership between Duke Energy and Charlottes Area Transit System(CATS) will pilot a program to utilize 18 battery operated bus vehicles in the city and surrounding areas. Program to begin in early 2022 and span over 12-18 months
- Pilot program is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge, and FTA(Federal Transit Administration) and CATS Capital Investment Program will fund the pilot program.
- Some challenges as CATS collects and assesses the data are:
- high upfront cost
- performance of the busses for long and frequent routes
- finding/testing manufacturers that best suite city’s weather, topography and needs
Stakeholders
- Charlottes Area Transit System(CATS)
- Duke Energy – subsidiary of eTransEnergy
- Residents of Charlotte, NC and surrounding areas
- Federal Transit Administration(FTA)
Three steps to deploy the technology (assuming funding is in place)
- Work with manufacturers that are interested in participating in the program and bus selection
- Identify charging needs and potential charging stations and associated infrastructure to support the stations, as buses will draw more energy than the electric cars
- Identify bus routes and areas that the program will serve based on above