Classifieds in this issue include executive and managerial positions with transit agencies and vendors throughout North America! 

Step up to “the greenest ride in town”! In an event historic to the public transportation industry, the world’s first heavy-duty, fast-charging electric bus was unveiled Sept. 3 at the Pomona, CA, facility of Foothill Transit in West Covina, CA, to more than 250 attendees.

The EcoRide BE35™ from Proterra LLC—a lightweight, 68-passenger, 35-foot low floor vehicle branded by Foothill Transit as the “Ecoliner”—entered service on a line between La Verne and Pomona; the transit agency hopes to introduce a full fleet of the buses by 2011. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds covered all costs of the project.

“This technology, a heavy duty electric bus that recharges in less than 10 minutes at an in-route docking station, could be the machinery that launches us into a realistic and highly advantageous renewable energy platform,” said Roger Chandler, chair of Foothill Transit’s Executive Board. “Excited doesn’t begin to describe how we feel. This is history.”

Others attending included Reps. Grace Napolitano (D-CA), David Dreier (R-CA), and John Mica (R-FL), ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Therese McMillan, deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration.

“The first commercial deployment of Proterra’s battery-electric buses by a major transit agency like Foothill Transit is a significant milestone for Proterra and a bold step by the nation in our collective effort to decrease dependence on fossil fuel,” said Proterra President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffery Granato.
 
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Unlike traditional cars, trucks, and buses that use fossil fuels like gasoline to power their engines, the Ecoliner runs exclusively on clean, electric energy. The Ecoliner contains all electric components, and at its heart is the TerraVolt™ Energy Storage System. This system features a highly advanced lithium battery that recharges in just 10 minutes—which means Ecoliners can run around the clock without ever leaving their routes.  And all this electricity comes from naturally occurring, renewable sources like the sun, wind, and water, which means that Ecoliners produce zero emissions.

Both Foothill Transit and Proterra LLC will monitor the vehicle’s ability to handle the demands of a regular, stop-and-go transit route over a two-year trial period.

Participating in the Sept. 3 launch of Foothill Transit’s innovative Ecoliner electric bus are, from left, Doran Barnes, executive director of Foothill Transit and vice president, transit management, for Veolia Transportation; FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan; Foothill Transit Executive Board Chair Roger Chandler , who is also a city of Arcadia councilmember; Rep. Grace Napolitano; and City of Industry Councilmember Jeff Parriott.

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