This New Electric Bus Can Drive 350 Miles on One Charge

The bus from Proterra, a leading North American manufacturer, is set to hit the streets next year. With up to 350 miles per charge - enough, in many places, for a full day’s worth of routes. Last month, this Goliath logged 600 miles on a Michelin track on one juice.

Personal electric cars are great, but larger vehicles like buses and trucks (at least those that operate in cities) are arguably better. Public buses, in particular, are perfect candidates for electrification. They drive predictable routes, so don’t need a sprawling charging infrastructure. Long charge times  don’t matter, since they’re usually parked overnight. Electric buses save money on fuel and maintenance, and some cities qualify for pro-electrification local and federal subsidies.

The secret to the new Proterra bus’s longevity is its twin mattress-sized battery pack. It can store up to 660 kWh, helpful when motoring a 27,000-pound, 40-foot bus. Compare that to the relatively mini batteries behind your favorite electric passenger car: 60 kWh in the Chevy Bolt, and 100 kWh in the largest Tesla Model S.

Lightweight materials help on range. So does the Prius-style regenerative braking system, which can help re-capture up to 92 percent of the bus’s kinetic energy. This is the only thing that current bus drivers will have to relearn.

Read more at Wired

Image Credit: Proterra

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