TriMet welcomes first Xcelsior CHARGE electric bus; powered by Portland General Electric clean renewable energy
New Flyer of America Inc. has congratulated the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon as it welcomed its first zero-emission, battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE transit bus to the growing community.
New Flyer previously reported the order for five forty-foot battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE transit buses in September 2017. TriMet partnered with Portland General Electric to purchase, own, and maintain six ABB chargers and the related infrastructure. The program was funded in part with a $3.4 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s 2016 Low and No Emission (Low-No) Vehicle Deployment Program.
TriMet is operating the forty-foot Xcelsior CHARGE bus on Line 62-Murray Blvd in the Portland, Oregon metro area. The route covers 13 miles and 700 feet in elevation change.
“We are tremendously proud to see the Xcelsior CHARGE bus introduced to the Portland region,” said Chris Stoddart, president, New Flyer. “We congratulate the exceptional teams at TriMet and PGE for successful integration of zero-emission electric buses, along with clean renewable energy, in their transition from conventional clean diesel propulsion to zero-emission buses.”
The pilot bus will be joined by four additional Xcelsior CHARGE buses this summer, creating an all-electric bus route. The buses will operate between the Sunset Transit Center and Washington Square Transit Center, with depot chargers installed at TriMet’s Merlo Operating Facility and one on-route charger installed at the Sunset Transit Center to rapidly recharge batteries each round trip.
“Transit inherently plays an important role in reducing emissions and easing congestion,” said Doug Kelsey, general manager, TriMet. “Now, as our first all-electric bus rolls into service powered by the wind, we are furthering our commitment to the environment and are at the forefront of a cleaner future, both for TriMet and the Portland, Oregon region.”
TriMet connects people in the Portland, Oregon surrounding areas, providing over 97 million trips per year. Through adding even cleaner buses to the fleet, TriMet proves its commitment to more and better service for the citizens of Portland region.
In 2016, Portland was a finalist in the U.S. Department of Transportation Smart Cities Challenge, competing to win funds to transform its transportation system with electric vehicle deployment and other carbon emission reduction strategies to foster future mobility solutions.
