One could easily welcome a better future in public-transport bus rides everywhere. "Better" for EV bus manufacturer Proterra means an all electric bus constructed to be as functional and durable as the conventional bus but significantly cutting fuel consumption and greenhouse emissions. That is the mission of Proterra, the Greenville, South Carolina based company, which is taking a role in a better future in public transportation, The company has delivered a battery electric zero emissions transit bus that can rapidly recharge at on-route stations with a two to three hour range. Proterra's on-route charging station system works in such a way where the bus pulls into a transit center terminal or on-route stop and automatically connects to an overhead system that links the bus to a high-capacity charger. The charge takes five to ten minutes while passengers load and unload.

Proterra lists a number of cities where its buses operate, in San Antonio, Texas, Worcester, Massachusetts, Reno Nevada, Stockton and Pomona in California, and in Tallahassee, Florida. Recently, the company announced a milestone in EV buses, having set a record, it said, for the most miles traveled in a day by a battery-electric transit bus. The April announcement said the bus traveled more than 700 miles in 24 hours. The bus ran an average of 29 miles per hour with the HVAC system running and was charged periodically throughout the day.

Garrett Mikita, CEO, said the company was proud to have demonstrated this performance using a regular production bus with the same features and performance built into all its buses. The record was set as part of normal testing conducted on Proterra buses before they are delivered. The bus that was used for the test was set to go into revenue service in the southeastern United States within the next few months. The test was conducted in mid-April on a route that was designed to simulate commuter and central business district routes and drive cycles.

This month, Proterra announced the launch of its "second generation" all-electric bus at the American Public Transportation Association Bus and Paratransit Conference. This is the company's first 40 foot model. Proterra also announced that its buses had logged more than 340,000 miles in revenue service to date.

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