Oregon Transit Fleets Speed Up Efforts to Electrify

From Oregon Environmental Council

ODOT lays it out clearly: “Battery-electric buses are seen as the future of the industry.” Electrifying transit will help solve what the Oregon Global Warming Commission reported earlier this year: the key reason Oregon is not reaching its climate goals is the transportation sector’s ongoing dependency on diesel and gas.

In addition to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, electric buses are cheaper to operate and maintain. According to the US Department of Energy, the cost of fueling a vehicle with electricity in Oregon is equivalent to $.97 per gallon, while diesel fuel is typically $2.28 per gallon. Maintenance costs are significantly lower too. An electric bus costs $120,000 – $210,000 less to maintain than a diesel bus over a 12-year lifecycle, according to an Electric Bus Analysis for New York City Transit.

Currently, all public transit buses in Portland run on diesel (blended with up to 20% biodiesel) or gas. So do most buses throughout Oregon.* Happily, several transit agencies are addressing this problem. Click here to read more…