TriMet and PGE use wind to power e-buses in Portland

Authorities in Oregon, US, are embracing wind power as a means of meeting transport emissions commitments. TriMet (Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon) has joined forces with Portland General Electric (PGE) to power its all-electric buses with wind energy. TriMet says the move supports its ambition to run a non-diesel fleet by 2040. Maria Pope, PGE president, says: "This all-electric bus line is a sustainable transportation option for the community and another step closer to a cle
April 25, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Authorities in Oregon, US, are embracing wind power as a means of meeting transport emissions commitments.

1272 TriMet (Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon) has joined forces with 1067 Portland General Electric (PGE) to power its all-electric buses with wind energy.

TriMet says the move supports its ambition to run a non-diesel fleet by 2040.

Maria Pope, PGE president, says: "This all-electric bus line is a sustainable transportation option for the community and another step closer to a clean energy future for Oregon.”

The New Flyer Xcelsior Charge bus will join four matching e-buses which will operate on TriMet Line 62-Murray Boulevard in Washington County.

Four e-buses were funded by a $3.4 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Low and No Emission Vehicle Deployment programme while the fifth vehicle was purchased by TriMet and PGE. In August 2018, TriMet received a second FTA grant which will provide five additional e-buses.

The company says the buses have electric motors powered by energy stored in the rechargeable battery packs and will reduce emissions by around 75 tonnes per year compared to its eight diesel-hybrid buses.

According to TriMet, regenerative braking allows the vehicle to capture kinetic energy as it slows, which can then be used or stored in the battery for later use.

The buses are equipped with low-floor boarding and extension ramp, climate control and seating for up to 40 people.

Over the next five to six years, TriMet intends to purchase up to 80 more e-buses with $53m in funds generated by the Keep Oregon Moving Act. These vehicles will be tested in hilly terrain and local traffic conditions as TriMet will evaluate the performance, cost and reliability of the service.

Networking & Communication Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Are truck bans the wrong move in the battle for air quality
    June 29, 2016
    Low emission zones and heavy goods vehicles’ access to city centres may at first glance appear attractive but how effective are such controls? Jon Masters reviews emerging trends across Europe. Around 1,700 European cities have implemented low emission zones (LEZs) and in addition some have restricted city centre access for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). Even those that restrict HGV access, such as Paris and Rome, allow exemptions at certain times and for particular classes of vehicle. But with what effect?
    Read More
  • Electric and hybrid vehicles fall out of favour with corporate fleets in Europe
    April 20, 2012
    According to the Arval, the car rental division of French banking group, BNP Paribas, the interest of Spanish companies in adding electric vehicles to their fleet has dropped 90 per cent in the past year, with just two per cent of companies expecting to opt for this type of vehicle before 2014. In 2010, 21 per cent said they would chose them. Hybrid cars also lost favour, with a 47 per cent drop in the number of companies intending to use them in their fleet from 30 per cent in 2010 to 16 per cent currently
    Read More
  • LeasePlan announces EV pilot programs for companies
    November 13, 2017
    LeasePlan (LP) has announced the launch of its electric vehicle (EV) pilot program for corporate companies as part of its ambition to achieve net zero emissions from its total fleet by 2030, at this year’s UN Climate Change Conference in Bronn, Germany. The project aims to make it as easy as possible for companies that want to make the switch to low- EVs and it will be available in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the UK from December.
    Read More
  • Chinese-Polish consortium to build electric buses
    February 7, 2013
    A Chinese electric vehicle consortium led by the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) has signed agreements to help develop an electric bus network in Poland. Other members of the consortium are BIT subsidiary BIT Huachuang Electric Vehicle Technology, CITIC Guoan Mengguli Power Science and Technology and Shanghai Dianba New Energy Technology. According to the agreements signed with Warsaw University of Technology and Polish power company Tauron Polska Energia, the Chinese group and Tauron will establish
    Read More

Highlighted Content