University of Georgia plans the phase-out of diesel buses from the fleet
20 e-buses already in the fleet and 13 further units coming. But the plans are much wider. University of Georgia (UGA) is targeting the complete phase-out of diesel buses from the fleet. Accordingly, UGA will be the university hosting the largest electric bus fleet in the US. 12 charging stations for up to 48 e-buses […]
20 e-buses already in the fleet and 13 further units coming. But the plans are much wider. University of Georgia (UGA) is targeting the complete phase-out of diesel buses from the fleet. Accordingly, UGA will be the university hosting the largest electric bus fleet in the US.
12 charging stations for up to 48 e-buses
As reported on CleanTechnica, Don Walter, Director of UGA Transportation and Parking Services, stated that “We don’t even plan on buying another diesel bus,”. The 12 charging stations in the campus would allow the deployment of as many as 48 battery-electric buses.
20 e-buses have already been ordered from Proterra through a competitive grant from the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority. A 7.46 million dollars funding awarded in December 2019 is enough to buy further 13 under under the Federal Transit Administration’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program.
Charging facilities are in place
Last year, the university built an expandable state-of-the-art charging facility on Riverbend Road to prepare for the electric buses already scheduled to arrive on campus. With this infrastructure in place, the FTA grant funding will be used to purchase electric buses without the need for additional charging capacity.
A fleet of 33 electric buses will significantly lower life-cycle costs for the university, UGA points out. «The expected useful life of electric buses far exceeds the 12-year standard for diesel buses. Fuel costs will decrease by approximately 90%, and with no internal combustion engine or transmission, maintenance costs will be drastically reduced as well», states a press release from UGA.
“The positive benefits that come from receiving this grant are remarkable,” said Robert Holden, associate vice president for Auxiliary Services. “In addition to reducing costs and contributing to research, advancing electric bus technology on our campus will allow us to provide better, cleaner transportation for the community by significantly reducing the university’s greenhouse gas emissions.”
