Nashville Electric Buses Now on Music City Circuit

People working in and around downtown Nashville and the Gulch are seeing Nashville MTA’s new electric buses more frequently on the Music City Circuit’s blue and green routes.

Training has been completed, and approximately 50 bus operators have now been trained on the zero emission vehicles. The fleet of nine buses will operate only on the Music City Circuit, which serves the Bicentennial Mall area and the Gulch.

According to electric bus manufacturer Proterra, these new electric buses run virtually silent and are five times more fuel efficient that traditional diesel buses.  By running electric buses, roughly 56,000 pounds of carbon dioxide will be removed from the atmosphere with the elimination of fuel usage.  Cost savings are estimated to be $75,092 annually based on the price of electricity compared to diesel fuel. 

Each bus has seating for 27 passengers with additional standing room for a total of 42 passengers.

The electric buses feature lithium-ion batteries that are charged at Riverfront Station.  A second station is being planned near the Bicentennial Mall.  The “Fast Fill” charging system allows for a full charge in less than 10 minutes with the driving distance of the bus being 26 miles or more on a single charge.  

The Nashville MTA provided a “sneak peek” of its electric buses in September.