Oct 8, 2019 - Energy & Climate

The U.S. is starting to adopt electric buses

Ben Geman

An electric bus in California. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

The electric bus maker Proterra announced yesterday that Miami-Dade County is buying 33 of its 40-foot, Proterra Catalyst E2 models.

Why it matters: California-based Proterra called it the "largest electric bus order on the East Coast." The order is the latest sign of growing global adoption of the technology that nonetheless remains very heavily concentrated in China.

What they're saying: Nick Albanese of the research firm BloombergNEF tells Axios that electrification of bus fleets in the U.S. is happening slightly faster than they predicted.

They had previously forecast the U.S. fleet to reach 675 by year's end, but it has already surpassed 600.
"Growing concern about urban air quality and new financing mechanisms (like battery leasing) have been big drivers," he tells me via email.

The big picture: The Miami-Dade order is one of several recent buys in the U.S. and elsewhere.

For instance, InsideEVs reported over the weekend: "Tata Motors is rapidly expanding its electric bus business in India and recently scored a contract for 300 vehicles for the Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited."

Go deeper: The evolving electric bus market

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The U.S. is starting to adopt electric buses

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