SMART unveils first of new all-electric buses

TROY — On Sept. 22, the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation unveiled the first of four new fully electric buses that will be going into service on the road this month throughout metro Detroit.

An unveiling was held for local officials at their Oakland County Terminal in Troy. Dwight Ferrell, the general manager of SMART, said it is the first step of plans to add numerous other fully electric vehicles to SMART’s fleet.

“The bus we are showing off today is one of four new all-electric buses, and they are the first we will have in the fleet,” he said. “SMART is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and working with partners in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties and working with DTE Energy to be able to expand low-emission vehicles throughout the region. Once Nov. 8 has come and gone and we have new areas added to SMART’s coverage area, things will really get going,” he said, referring to a ballot initiative that asks residents if they support a countywide SMART bus tax, rather than individual communities opting in or out.

The buses are produced by PROTERRA, a California-based company producing electric vehicles from the ground up within the United States.

“PROTERRA was founded on a simple vision: clean, quiet transportation for all. Our story began more than a decade ago with our first zero-emission battery electric vehicles,” said Ken Becker, the Midwest regional sales director for PROTERRA. “Since then, cities and states have embraced zero-emission vehicles. … We build the bus, we design and build the batteries, and our name is on that charger, so we help create the entire EV ecosystem.”

Among those present at the event were Deputy Executive of Wayne County Assad Turfe, Oakland County Executive David Coulter, and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel. Hackel noted that the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit highlighted the push for more electric options and said that SMART is, thus, ahead of the curve.

“When we’re talking about electric vehicles, some people are skeptical and other people are wondering where it’s all headed,” he said. “SMART is embracing this, though, and testing out what is the path for public transit in the future.”

The new buses were added to the fleet in conjunction with DTE Energy. Lynn Felcyn, a program director with DTE Energy, said companies have to start realizing that electric vehicles are going to be part of the energy needs of the future.

“We know we had a role in this. We have a responsibility to the residents and businesses in the area, and we have to look at how changes such as electric vehicles change how they live and how they do business,” she said. “This not only impacts our grid, but we are on this journey to reduce carbon emissions like everyone else.”

She noted that about 28% of carbon emissions come from public transit vehicles and that developments such as EV buses provide a solution to mitigate that.

Becker touted the advantages of all-electric vehicles for a public transit service such as reduced noise and a lack of carbon emissions.

“Transitioning to clean transportation is not just the right thing to do, in regard to health and the environment, but it also is the smart thing to do,” he said. “Each time a PROTERRA battery electric bus replaces a diesel bus, 230,000 pounds of carbon pollution are avoided each year, along with other pollutants. They offer a low total cost of ownership and are subject to less volatile fuel costs compared to internal combustion vehicles. Because they have fewer moving parts, they require no oil changes or emission tests and put less wear on braking systems. In fact, we just replaced the first set of brakes on a bus that we delivered nine years ago.”

Ferrell noted that all-electric vehicles have been something SMART has long been interested in, but they wanted to ensure that when they took steps to integrate such vehicles into the fleet, they were doing so in a way that could be properly rolled out.

“People might ask why it’s taken so long, and the answer is that this is all new technology,” he explained. “We want people to be safe when using it. We made sure the mechanics who are used to working on diesel vehicles are prepared to work on this vehicle. The same goes for the people who operate it. We also will have outreach into the community for those who are visually challenged. This bus is incredibly quiet, so as a result of that, we need to educate a group of people what to look for when they otherwise would be able to hear a bus.”

He added that government funding also allows for new opportunities to explore alternative fuel options.

“Conventional new buses cost $500,000 to $600,000. These (EV) buses are seven figures, coming in at around $1 million each,” said Farrell. “For every dollar of local money we get, there’s $1.34 of state or federal money that helps pay for things at SMART. The local dollar alone can’t cover this. It’s a collaboration between local, state and federal resources to make a project like this possible.”

Michael Youngblood is the master trainer at the Oakland Terminal for SMART and trains other drivers. He took those present at the unveiling for a spin on the new EV bus and noted it’s an improvement over the diesel buses he has been driving for years.

“With the bus, you don’t have to ride the brake all day. You don’t have to use your accelerator all day so you can drive smooth,” he said “This is a very good improvement. (EV buses) take less wear and tear. Most buses take a lot, but these buses are easier and require less frequent repairs to things like the brakes.”

He noted that it takes six hours to charge and has a range of at least 130 miles between recharges, with longer ranges possible depending on how frequently the route requires the bus stop and the weather.

Ferrell said that issues of public transportation affect everyone, even those who may never step foot on a bus themselves.

“My mother was in hospice care in Texas, and everyone who went to visit my mother drove; however, the people who took care of my mother took transit,” he said. “The people who clean bedpans and empty trash and work in the cafeteria. Those people are who I depended on to take care of my mother. Don’t think transportation doesn’t make a difference in your life.”