Philadelphia’s Proterra Fleet in Complete Shambles

[Hoodat]

Report: Philadelphia’s Proterra Fleet in Complete Shambles

$24 million worth of Proterra buses taken off the road due to problems

Matthew Foldi • July 15, 2021 5:25 pm


More than two dozen electric Proterra buses first unveiled by the city of Philadelphia in 2016 are already out of operation, according to a WHYY investigation.

The entire fleet of Proterra buses was removed from the roads by SEPTA, the city's transit authority, in February 2020 due to both structural and logistical problems—the weight of the powerful battery was cracking the vehicles' chassis, and the battery life was insufficient for the city's bus routes. The city raised the issues with Proterra, which failed to adequately address the city's concerns.

The city paid $24 million for the 25 new Proterra buses, subsidized in part by a $2.6 million federal grant. Philadelphia defended the investment with claims that the electric buses would require less maintenance than standard combustion engine counterparts.

"There’s a lot less moving parts on an electric bus than there is on an internal combustion engine," SEPTA chief Jeffrey Knueppel said in June 2019. Knueppel retired from the post just months later.

Proterra, which had Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on its board of directors when Philadelphia pulled the buses off the streets last year, has been highlighted by the Biden administration as a business of the future. President Joe Biden visited the company's factory in April and pledged in his initial infrastructure package proposal to include federal money for the electric vehicle market. The company has since been touted by top officials including White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy, who in a public meeting asked Proterra's CEO how the federal government could spur demand for Proterra buses.

https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/report-philadelphias-proterra-fleet-in-complete-shambles/


We're looking at a 100% fail rate here, yet Biden is still giving our tax dollars over to a company tied to his Energy Secretary.

[rangerrebew]

Philly’s entire fleet of battery-powered buses has been MIA since February

    ByRyan BriggsSeptember 17, 2020

 

Philadelphia’s $24 million experiment with battery-powered buses was mysteriously put on ice seven months ago — largely unbeknownst to SEPTA riders during a pandemic era that’s caused record-low ridership.

SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch acknowledged that the transportation agency’s entire fleet of 25 all-electric buses, the third-largest fleet in the U.S., has been “fully sidelined” since February.

“We made the decision to fully take them out of service,” he said in response to a PlanPhilly inquiry about the missing buses. “We’re not able to get into the specific issues…but we’re hopeful we can come up with resolutions that will allow us to get them all back into service.”

https://whyy.org/articles/phillys-entire-fleet-of-battery-powered-buses-has-been-mia-since-february/

[rangerrebew]

It seems to me I remember somewhere in Europe, Germany I think, tried electric buses too, and went belly up.  I guess Philthydelphia hadn't heard of that.

[PeteS in CA]

Report: Philadelphia’s Proterra Fleet in Complete Shambles

https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/report-philadelphias-proterra-fleet-in-complete-shambles/

More than two dozen electric Proterra buses first unveiled by the city of Philadelphia in 2016 are already out of operation, according to a WHYY investigation.

The entire fleet of Proterra buses was removed from the roads by SEPTA, the city's transit authority, in February 2020 due to both structural and logistical problems—the weight of the powerful battery was cracking the vehicles' chassis, and the battery life was insufficient for the city's bus routes. The city raised the issues with Proterra, which failed to adequately address the city's concerns.

The city paid $24 million for the 25 new Proterra buses, subsidized in part by a $2.6 million federal grant. Philadelphia defended the investment with claims that the electric buses would require less maintenance than standard combustion engine counterparts.

Batteries are heavy and need proper mechanical support? Who'd athunk it? Battery life needs to be adequate for a full day's route, especially in cold weather? Will revelations never cease!

On the side, I was surprised to learn that WHYY is a PBS station, not a Fox station. I assume many easterners knew that, but I'm a West Coaster.

[jmyrlefuller]

How long do buses typically last?

I know four years is about the lifespan of a typical police car, and though buses don't usually go that fast, I imagine the daily grind and strain is on a similar level.

[Kamaji]

How long do buses typically last?

I know four years is about the lifespan of a typical police car, and though buses don't usually go that fast, I imagine the daily grind and strain is on a similar level.

Depends on how they were specc'ed out in the first place, how much abuse they get, and how much maintenance is done on them.  A well specc'ed bus that gets sufficient preventive maintenance can run for 20 years or more.  For ICE buses, however, that usually involves at least one rebuild of the power plant (I've seen buses where the power plant/tranny is on a separate sled that can be quickly removed from the bus by removing a couple of bolts and winching the bus up over the sled).

[IsailedawayfromFR]

How long do buses typically last?

I know four years is about the lifespan of a typical police car, and though buses don't usually go that fast, I imagine the daily grind and strain is on a similar level.

At a million $ a pop, they should last a long, long time.

Big waste of taxpayers' $

Police cars cost a tiny fraction of that

And here's another article on this subject with this tidbit:

Proterra, which had Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on its board of directors when Philadelphia pulled the buses off the streets last year, has been highlighted by the Biden administration as a business of the future. President Joe Biden visited the company’s factory in April and pledged in his initial infrastructure package proposal to include federal money for the electric vehicle market. The company has since been touted by top officials including White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy, who in a public meeting asked Proterra’s CEO how the federal government could spur demand for Proterra buses.

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/07/19/report-philadelphias-electric-bus-fleet-in-complete-shambles/

[Kamaji]

According to this source:  https://www.liveabout.com/buses-and-other-transit-lifetime-2798844#:~:text=The%20United%20States,funding%20from%20the%20federal%20government.

because of federal subsidy mechanisms, most municipalities run their transit buses for 12 years and then auction them off for little or nothing, with the ones in decent repair being acquired by private transit companied and operated for a significant number of additional years.

[rustynail]

They should park them on the street for the homeless to live in.

[Wingnut]

The only electric busses worth a damn where removed from service in the 40's and 50's when GM convinced cities that these new gas engine busses were the future of mass transit.   The rails were dug up or paved over and the overhead electrified cables where removed.  piddiful just piddiful.