Proterra's electric bus plant in Greenville. | Proterra
Proterra's electric bus plant in Greenville. | Proterra
The $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill which recently passed the U.S. Senate could be a boon for South Carolina companies such as Proterra, which makes electric school buses at a plant in Greenville.
The legislation devotes $2.5 billion to start converting school buses from diesel to electric — "a potential windfall for the handful of companies that specialize in manufacturing them,” CNBC tweeted Aug. 18.
BloombergNEF estimates 500 barrels of diesel are displaced each day for every 1,000 e-buses. There is less “range anxiety” with buses because they follow fixed routes and be charged overnight, Bloomberg said.
“The government has never had a broad-based program of that magnitude to fund school buses of any kind, never mind electric ones,” Proterra CEO Jack Allen told Bloomberg. “So, a big deal.”
Proterra electric vehicles have prevented the release of more than 100 million pounds of greenhouse gas and saved six million gallons of fuel gases, the company said on its website.
It has partnered with Thomas Built Buses to create a 100% battery-electric bus “designed to meet the needs of school bus fleets.”
The buses have a range of 138 miles and can be fully charged in three hours, Proterra said on its website.
There are lower fuel costs and lower maintenance costs with no oil changes required and no transmission, Proterra said.
“Electric buses pay for themselves over a lifetime,” the company said.
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