Cost looms as the biggest obstacle. A typical diesel bus costs about $450,000, while electric models can cost nearly twice as much. The difference can be substantial for cash-strapped transit agencies, especially at a time of low gasoline prices.
Van Amburg says transit officials want long-term price stability, not the unpredictable fluctuations of fossil fuels. Also, over a bus’s typical 12-year life span, he says, zero-emission vehicles will cost a lot less to operate. So, compared to diesel buses, he expects electric ones to be cost-competitive within three years and fuel-cell ones within seven years.
Given their lower maintenance costs, Popple says his Proterra buses are already competitive. Because of the declining cost of key components such as batteries, and early federal funding that allowed him to scale up production, he says their sticker price has fallen from $1.2 million in 2010 to $700,000 today.
Of course, any potential savings—whether financial or environmental—depend on the local price and source of electricity. Skeptics say electric vehicles do little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if their juice comes from coal-fired power plants.
Van Amburg says even in those areas, however, electric buses benefit the environment, because their drivetrains are so much more efficient. A typical diesel bus gets about four miles per gallon, but an electric one gets the equivalent of 20 miles per gallon.
While more companies elbow to gain market share in the growing industry, cities are showing off their zero-emission buses with electric paint colors and exterior labels such as “battery electric.”
“Some people drive out to Pomona just to ride the bus,” Friesema says of the technologically inquisitive. For regular riders, she says the transition to the “Ecoliner” fleet has been seamless.