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CTA plans to purchase 20 electric buses with en-route chargers


Ron2themax

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At first, the CTA would pilot a small fleet of five buses along Chicago Avenue.

By Steven Vance

Dec 1, 2017

 8

The Chicago Transit Authority intends to buy a small, fully electric bus fleet to begin testing route next year. The buses would charge their batteries at the terminals and at stops along the route. The CTA issued a request for proposals last month seeking a company to build and install the buses and chargers.

The RFP indicates that the CTA would test the buses on Chicago Avenue, as it specifies that chargers should be installed at Navy Pier, the intersection of Chicago and Austin Avenues, and at the Chicago Avenue bus garage at Pulaski Road. The CTA wants to purchase a minimum of 20 and up to 45 electric, standard length buses.

En-route charging has enabled electric buses and trams around the world to ply normal routes all day. In Cologne, Germany, for example, an articulated bus will lay over at a stop near the main train station for up to 10 minutes. While there it lifts up a charging mechanism and, faster than the latest smartphone charging technology, gets a sufficient jolt of electricity to travel to the next charger, or beyond.

 

CTA has operated two electric buses, manufactured by New Flyer, in revenue service since 2014. Catherine Hosinski of the CTA said that electric buses are quieter, and have “significantly decreased emissions, which improves the quality of air and life for both our riders and general public.” Hosinski also said that “the operation of one all-electric bus is estimated to save up to $300,000 in fuel costs over the 12-year lifespan of each bus.”

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