21st September 2017

Electric bus goes 1,100 miles on a single charge

Proterra, a leading innovator in heavy-duty electric transportation, has announced a new world record for the longest distance ever travelled by an electric vehicle on a single charge at the Navistar Proving Grounds in New Carlisle, Indiana, US.

Proterra’s 40-foot Catalyst E2 max, pictured above, travelled 1,101.2 miles (1,772.2 km) this month with 660 kWh of energy storage capacity. For the last three consecutive years, Proterra has demonstrated improved range and battery performance. Last September, Proterra drove 603 miles with 440kWh of energy storage, and in 2015, Proterra drove 258 miles with 257kWh of energy storage on a single charge. This year’s range marks exceptional performance improvements over prior years, and underscores Proterra’s commitment to innovation and accelerating the mass adoption of heavy-duty electric vehicles.

"For our heavy-duty electric bus to break the previous world record of 1,013.76 miles – which was set by a light-duty passenger EV, 46 times lighter than the Catalyst E2 max – is a major feat," said Matt Horton, Proterra's chief commercial officer. "This record achievement is a testament to Proterra's purpose-built electric bus design, energy-dense batteries and efficient drivetrain."

Beyond meeting transit agencies' range requirements, the Catalyst E2 max is poised to make a significant impact on the transit market because of its low operational cost per mile compared to conventional fossil fuel-powered buses. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, lithium-ion battery prices have dropped by roughly 72 percent since 2010, and the economics for batteries continue to improve. Between li-ion battery cost savings and improving vehicle efficiency, electric vehicles represent the most disruptive mode of transport today.

"Driven by the best cost savings-per-mile, we believe the business case for heavy-duty electric buses is superior to all other applications, and that the transit market will be the first to transition completely to battery-electric powered vehicles," said Ryan Popple, Proterra CEO. "Early electric bus adopters like our first customer, Foothill Transit, have paved the way for future heavy-duty applications, like motor coaches and commercial trucks. As we see incumbents and more companies enter the heavy-duty EV market, it's become very apparent that the future is all-electric, and the sun is setting on combustion engine technology."

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