Proterra, Inc.

Proterra, Inc. is an American manufacturing company focusing on the design and manufacture of all-electric zero-emissions vehicles, and on-route, fast-charge and in-depot systems.

The company’s mission is to deliver clean, quiet transportation to all, by replacing heavy-duty, fossil-fueled transit buses with zero-emission, electric vehicles that reduce greenhouse gas and diesel particulate matter emissions without sacrificing vehicle, performance or uptime.

Proterra's EcoRide BE35 was the first 30 ft (9 m) or larger all-battery electric bus to complete federally mandated Altoona testing. It was also the first full-size, fast charge transit bus to enter revenue service in the U.S. and meet California’s Zero-Emission Bus Rules.

The company’s second-generation bus, the Proterra Catalyst is available in two vehicle sizes, 35 ft and 40 ft, and is made of lightweight and durable carbon fiber and advanced composite materials. The 40 ft model has a total capacity of 77 passengers (40 seated/37 standing).

As of September 2015, its buses have a single-charge range of up to 258 miles (415 km).^[2]

The company is headquartered in Burlingame, California and has manufacturing facilities located in the City of Industry, California and in Greenville, South Carolina.

History

Proterra, Inc. was founded in Golden, CO by Dale Hill in 2004. Hill had previously founded Trans Tech, a Denver, CO-based bus manufacturing company that focused on building CNG hybrid buses throughout the 1990s, as well as Alumatech, a manufacturing company that focused on aluminum dump trailers.

Following the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)'s push for alternative fuels and forms of mobility through such programs as the Clean Fuels Grant Program Bus and Bus Facilities Clean Fuels Grant Program Bus and Bus Facilities (5309, 5318), and the TIGER and TIGGER programs, Hill wanted go beyond the success of his CNG buses that launched the world’s first fleet of alternative fuel buses at the 16th Street Mall in Denver, Colorado. He wanted to create a company that would take the lead in creating zero-emission, U.S.-based transit buses.

This was particularly important since many of the programs, including the Clean Fuels Grant Program^[3] and the TIGGER^[4] program, either exclude CNG buses and facilities, explicitly require capital investments that assist in reducing the energy consumption of a transit agency, and/or reduce greenhouse gas emissions of a transit agency.

In 2010, Proterra announced that it would move its manufacturing plant from Golden, Colorado to Greenville, South Carolina due to its close proximity to Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). The company moved its headquarters and manufacturing plant to Greenville, SC in 2011.

Ryan Popple, formerly of Tesla Motors, was appointed CEO in 2014.^[5]

In 2015, Proterra was awarded a $3 million grant from the California Energy Commission to fund the design, development and construction of the company’s new state-of-the-art zero-emission, battery-electric transit bus manufacturing line in the City of Industry, California.

Proterra moved its headquarters from Greenville, South Carolina to Burlingame, California in October 2015.^[6]

As of November 2015, the company has delivered to transit agencies 60 buses that have logged more than 1.6 million miles (2.6 million kilometres).

Products

EcoRide BE35

BE35 bus

Proterra's EcoRide BE35 ^[7] is a 35 ft (11 m) composite body, fast-charge, battery electric bus that seats 38 (including the driver) and has a passenger capacity of 60. It is the first 30 ft (9 m) or larger, heavy-duty all-electric bus ever to complete federally required durability, reliability and safety testing at the Bus Research and Testing Center at Altoona, Pennsylvania. The 12yr/500,000 mi (800,000 km) STURAA test was completed on March 5, 2012.^[8]

Results from the STURAA test showed an average, combined fuel economy of 1.81 kWh/mi (1.12 kW·h/km) or 20.84 miles per US gallon (8.86 km/l) diesel equivalent.^[9] Compared to the buses it replaces—conventional diesel buses average 3.86 miles per US gallon (1.64 km/l); CNG buses return 3.27 miles per US gallon (1.39 km/l) diesel equivalent; and diesel-hybrid buses average about 4.6 miles per US gallon (2.0 km/l)^[10]—the results are up to 600% better.

Battery Technology and Recharging

The vehicle's 220-kW electric motor is powered by a Lithium–titanate battery that can recharged in 5–10 minutes at a bus stop via overhead terminals connected to a charging station while stopped at a bus stop, without driver involvement. Charging, which would normally take place during a brief layover typically provides charge for a further 26 miles (42 km) of operation.^[11][12] As of June 2016, Proterra will grant royalty-free access to the patents covering their overhead charging system.^[13]

Proterra Catalyst

The Proterra Catalyst

Proterra introduced the Catalyst, a new, fast-charge, 100% electric bus in 2014 to replace the EcoRide BE35. The all-new bus built on the EcoRide’s design and engineering and delivered a longer, lighter and more fuel-efficient bus.

The second-generation bus measures 40 ft and weighs approximately 27,000 lb (12,000 kg), which is less than any other 40 ft (12 m) transit bus on the market today.^[14] The bus is built from lightweight, durable carbon composite. The overall lower weight helps reduce wear and tear on streets. It has no tailpipe and runs virtually silent.

With the on-route fast charging system, the Catalyst can be operated continuously, 24/7, without the need to head to the depot for lengthy charge times. The company added a 35 ft model of the Catalyst to its product line October 2015.

It is one of the world’s most efficient transit buses; it thus leaves a very small carbon footprint. Like other all-electric vehicles, there are zero tailpipe emissions. Collectively, Proterra buses have been estimate to have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 5,000,000 lb (2,300,000 kg) CO2 equivalent) when compared to conventional diesel and CNG buses—assuming average US mix for energy generation.^[15]

Development and Manufacturing

Proterra is a national company with its headquarters in Silicon Valley and manufacturing in San Gabriel Valley within metro Los Angeles and in South Carolina’s Upstate Region—utilizing strengths and competitive advantages of all locations. The Proterra headquarters is centrally-located in California, home to America’s largest concentration of electric vehicle and transportation technology development in North America and the number one market for transit in the U.S. The company also operates a West Coast manufacturing facility in the City of Industry, California. Proterra’s East Coast manufacturing and engineering operations are located in Greenville, South Carolina and sits directly outside CU-ICAR. CU-ICAR’s 250-acre campus—its research is focused entirely on industry needs and economic development—gives Proterra access to research and development resources that help further development of its EV buses and charging stations.

Current Operations

A Proterra Catalyst operated by King County Metro.

Current operations include:

Investors

Since inception, Proterra has been funded through FTA grants as well as venture capital funding. Since 2011 Proterra has raised more than $130 million in private equity funding. Investors include:

• Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a venture capital private equity firm based in Silicon Valley.^[5]
• General Motors Ventures LLC.^[5]
• Mitsui & Co. Global Investment Inc.,a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
• Vision Ridge Partners LLC, a Boston-based organization that advises and invests in transformative growth companies with a focus on sustainability.^[19]
• 88 Green Ventures LLC, an investment firm that manages asset capabilities to assist emerging green companies.^[19]
• TAO Capital Partners, invests in technology, alternative energy, healthcare, consumer, and real estate businesses that have a sustainable positive impact.^[5]

See also

• BYD Auto

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Proterra buses.

• Official website