Albany

The Capital District Transportation Authority is considering making its newest bus rapid transit route, the so-called River Corridor connecting Waterford and Troy with Watervliet, Menands and Albany, an "all-electric" route.

With its first ever battery-powered electric buses set for delivery in mid-June, such a route would give CDTA a project that could demonstrate the new technology in everyday use.

"This is an exciting concept that would provide CDTA and the State of New York with a showcase project, complete with the technology people are looking for an environmental benefits our community can support," said CDTA CEO Carm Basile in a recent briefing to the transit authority's board.

The authority plans to launch a pilot program this summer to see how the buses will work and be maintained.

Among the challenges: cold winter weather that would more quickly drain batteries, shortening the range of the bus between charges, hills that also would consumer more electric power, and how and where to charge the batteries, said CDTA spokeswoman Jaime Watson.

The advantages? Fewer moving parts to wear out, less pollution, quieter operation, and possibly lower operating costs.

While the buses typically cost more initially than similar diesel buses, the technology has been advancing rapidly. Watson said that in the time CDTA has been planning to purchase and begin operating the buses, their range has continued to improve.

A bus now can get as much as 200 miles between charges, although traffic congestion, stops to pick up passengers, and waiting for traffic signals to change all could shorten that, as could cold weather.

Watson said CDTA could be the first upstate transit agency to put the battery-powered buses into regular service. Downstate, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has 10 electric buses in operation. The Chicago Transit Authority has operated two electric buses since 2014, and has another 20 buses on order under a $32 million contract.

CTA said it was the first transit agency in the country to put electric buses into regular scheduled service. There was no immediate word on Wednesday how those buses were performing, when temperatures at 3 p.m., just before the evening rush hour, were 11 degrees below zero.

The CDTA said it likely will charge its buses overnight at the bus garage, something that will allow it to take advantage of cheaper off-peak electric rates. Watson said CTA's buses are from New Flyer, the same company producing CDTA electric buses.

The two BRT routes, the one connecting Albany and Schenectady and the new Riverfront route between Albany and Waterford, are relatively flat, with the exception of the State Street hill in downtown Albany.

But other routes have hills that might drain batteries more quickly.

The Riverfront route is expected to begin service in late 2020, Watson said. The project's cost — $42 million — covers the cost of 31 stations along the 16-mile corridor, 20 vehilces, a garage expansion, and technology that allows buses to jump the queue at traffic signals and to get signal priority, as well as provide real-time information to passengers about where the bus is and when it will arrive.