Daily Sun Stuff
The first of two all-electric buses will begin serving Flagstaff residents this week, joining the Mountain Line fleet on Wednesday, April 26.
A second Gillig Battery electric bus is expected to enter service later this year, said a Mountain Line media release.
Mountain Line CEO and General Manager Heather Dalmorin said:
Both new vehicles were purchased with federal grants and support from the Arizona Public Service (APS).
APS is partnering with Mountain Line to study how electric vehicles and charging infrastructure interact with the power grid. Mountain Line will share battery charge data with APS to inform utility customer programs and energy resource plans.
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“As the Flagstaff community continues to decarbonize transportation, this is an opportunity for our customers to learn more about how they use electric vehicles and how they interact with the smart grid,” said APS. Kelly Kearns, Director of Customer Technology, said.
Mountain Line has already received additional federal funding to purchase four more electric buses, and the agency will replace all existing hybrid-electric buses that have reached the end of their useful life with electric models. is reported to be under consideration.
The move comes as part of the agency’s zero-emission bus transition plan, which provides an analysis of various zero-emission technology options and plans the logistics, budget, and infrastructure needed to meet the goals. .
Flagstaff voters approved a 2008 proposal to fund the purchase of hybrid-electric buses, and ten years later Mountain Line became the first transportation system in the United States to operate 100% hybrid-electric vehicles.
According to Mountain Line, going all electric will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated by local transportation by 68%. Replacing just one hybrid bus with an electric bus will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 61 tons per year. This equates to almost 10 passenger cars being removed from the road each year. At full conversion, this equates to about 300 cars per year.
Electric buses will operate on various routes in town during the first week of service.
To celebrate, Mountain Line is hosting a public contest. Members of the public can take photos of buses they see around town, post them on Facebook, and tag Mountain Line with @FLGMountainLine for a chance to win prizes.
The contest runs from April 26th to May 3rd. www.mountainline.az.gov/electric for more information.
