General Motors has paired up with venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers to invest $30 million in a small company that produces mass transit buses fueled by electricity. The investment is part of GM’s Venture program, designed to support innovation in transportation technology. The company is interested in promoting alternatives to ease the country’s fuel consumption and stimulate ideas on the cutting edge of practical environmentally friendly transportation advances.
Buses Powered by Lithium Ion Batteries
The buses are manufactured by ProTerra, a company based in Greenville, South Carolina. The Proterra EcoRide BE-35 bus gets its power from lithium ion battery packs that can be charged through a receptor in the roof of the bus in as little as 10 minutes. Each charge is good for 40 miles of operation. The buses are lightweight and can travel at normal highway speeds. A regular fleet could service a city non-stop because of the quick recharging times for each bus. The battery systems put out an average of 54 to 72 kWh of power once fully recharged.
Test Fleets Running in California
The GM investment has allowed Proterra to begin testing a small fleet of electric buses in Pomona, California. The company plans to begin new tests in Texas and Florida later in the year after charging stations become established in each location. If the testing goes well, Proterra could be poised to increase production from its South Carolina plant, which has the capacity to produce 400 electric buses per year. Right now, there are three buses running regularly on the Pomona testing routes, with more buses scheduled for delivery to the area soon.
Investment Will Allow Company to Commercialize
The money from General Motors will substantially increase Proterra’s ability to make their buses commercially viable. The investment will help the company finish federal validity testing so that it can continue to promote its buses nationwide. The investment will also subsidize the increased manufacturing rate so that the company can provide more charging stations and buses to communities that are interested in trying out the new technology. GE has put the electric bus company on the fast track toward creating a viable alternative to gasoline and diesel powered bus systems, which could be good for the environment and for state and city transportation budgets.
Fuel Consumption Could Drop Dramatically
In terms of fuel consumption, the Proterra consumes approximately 24 miles per gallon in diesel terms. At that rate, the buses provide a 600 percent increase in energy efficiency compared to current fleets. Current estimates are that the electric buses could replace 80 diesel buses on regular routes without having to make any changes in schedule due to the battery life. If necessary, mechanics can program the buses to run longer than 40 miles while they are charging at certain locations. Replacing most of the diesel buses with electric models could save cities hundreds of thousands annually.
Jessica Bosar writes about the auto industry for CarInsuranceQuotesComparison.com. The site offers news, information and consumer information to help you compare car insurance quotes.