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Asheville NC spent millions on EV buses that don't run.

bczoom

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Excerpts:
In the meantime, Asheville is staring down losses from a major investment. Morriss told WLOS that each bus cost at least $616,000, and the city had to spend another $200,000 for the installation of each charger, another $118,000 every year to lease batteries for the buses, and nearly $45,500 annually in electric costs to charge them.

She also noted that maintenance costs for the electric buses have topped $250,000. At the same time, having most of the electric buses out of operation has increased wear and tear on the rest of the 32 buses in the fleet, which either run on biodiesel or are hybrid models.

Maintenance director John McDaniel also weighed in on the problems Asheville has had with its electric buses. He told WLOS that the two electric buses that are still in operation can only travel around 78 miles in the wintertime before needing to return to the shop and charge for hours.
 
Yet in South Dakota they seem to be working well. They have a diesel heater, lol but they seem to like the buses.



LOCAL NEWS

How electric school buses are doing in the cold​

by: Kelli Volk
Posted: Jan 22, 2024 / 05:10 PM CST
Updated: Jan 22, 2024 / 05:10 PM CST
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GARRETSON, S.D. (KELO) — Tom Godbey likes being behind the wheel of an electric bus.
The dash features a screen that shows the Garretson school bus driver how much battery life he has on his routes.
 
Yet in South Dakota they seem to be working well. They have a diesel heater, lol but they seem to like the buses.



LOCAL NEWS

How electric school buses are doing in the cold​

by: Kelli Volk
Posted: Jan 22, 2024 / 05:10 PM CST
Updated: Jan 22, 2024 / 05:10 PM CST
SHARE
GARRETSON, S.D. (KELO) — Tom Godbey likes being behind the wheel of an electric bus.
The dash features a screen that shows the Garretson school bus driver how much battery life he has on his routes.
Whoops! Wrong thread should have paid more attention. I thought this was the school bus thread
 
Just a follow up on this, full story at the link below




Taxpayer-Funded Electric Busses Are Sitting Broken Down And Idled Across The Country

Stop us if you've heard this one before, but the billions of dollars we're spending to convert the country to "clean" energy in order to reduce carbon emissions is being allocated poorly. We know, government spending that isn't efficient? We were shocked, too.
The latest example comes from the idea that our tax money should be responsible for instituting electric busses nationwide. As Fox News reported this week, the idea has been nothing short of a total disaster, with busses broken down and unused across the nation.
Fox cites several examples, including authorities in Asheville, North Carolina, who have encountered numerous difficulties with their electric bus fleet, leading to the idling of three out of five buses bought in 2018 for "millions".These challenges stem from an assortment of software glitches, mechanical failures, and the unavailability of necessary spare parts.
In a similar vein, The Denver Gazette highlighted issues in Colorado Springs, where Mountain Metropolitan Transit's electric bus initiative faces setbacks. Of the four e-buses procured in 2021, each costing $1.2 million primarily funded by governmental grants, two are currently non-operational.
One of the key reasons the electric bus industry isn't evolving? The free market has already sent it a message by bankrupting its key supplier and largest e-bus manufacturer in the U.S., a company called Proterra.
It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August, exacerbating issues for cities with their buses. Despite being promoted by President Biden and having former Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on its board, the company faced other challenges (for example: a business model that doesn't work even with massive government subsidies).
Asheville's interim transportation director, Jessica Morriss, reported difficulties in obtaining parts post-bankruptcy.
Proterra's problems predate the bankruptcy. In 2020, SEPTA in Philadelphia pulled its $24 million Proterra fleet, and in 2021, Foothill Transit in California reported over half of its electric buses idle. Other affected areas include Stockton, Reno, Louisville, where TARC's entire fleet remained unused for two years, and Austin, where Capital Metro's $46 million deal with Proterra faces delays.
Broward County, Florida's experience was particularly telling, with their Proterra buses breaking down far more frequently than diesel counterparts, highlighting the challenges in transitioning to electric public transportation, the report says.....
 
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