FTA Grants Accelerate Adoption of Zero Emission, Fast Charge, Battery Electric Transit Buses in Florida, Nevada, Washington and California - Proterra Big Winner

GOLDEN, Colo., Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Proterra Inc, a leading maker of zero-emission commercial transit solutions, today announced that five major urban transit agencies received more than $25 million in grants from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to purchase 20 fast charge battery electric transit buses and 4 EV charging stations. The only vehicles that can meet the specifications in the grants are Proterra's EcoRide BE35™ buses and FastFill™ Charging Stations. The announcement marks a major commercial milestone for Proterra, and greatly accelerates the company's goal of replacing the current diesel transit infrastructure with a zero-tailpipe emission bus and charging station solution.

The transit agencies are StarMetro in Tallahassee, FL; Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) in Reno, NV; Foothill Transit in Pomona CA; King County Metro Transit in Seattle, WA and Fresno Area Express (FAX) in Fresno, CA. All were officially notified that they will receive federal stimulus grants from the FTA's Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) Program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Managed by the FTA's Office of Research, Demonstration and Innovation in coordination with the Office of Program Management and Regional Offices, the TIGGER Program works directly with public transit agencies to implement new strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions or reduce energy usage from their operations. These strategies can be implemented through operational or technological enhancements or innovations. To align the TIGGER Program with other strategic initiatives, FTA encourages projects that will demonstrate innovative electric drive and related technology approaches to achieving these goals.

"Leading transit agencies across the U.S. are turning to Proterra as a trusted expert in all-electric public transportation solutions to reduce operating costs with the added benefits of emissions free, low noise operation and greenhouse gas emission reduction," said Jeff Granato, Proterra President and CEO. "It's encouraging to see the immediate application of federal grants such as TIGGER to help spur more support from federal programs and further foster the innovation of supporting cost effective, clean and green technologies."

"Tallahassee StarMetro is looking forward to putting our TIGGER funds to work for our community as part of our Go Green Initiatives," said Ralph Wilder, Superintendent Transit Maintenance for StarMetro, City of Tallahassee. "The potential of saving 260 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents each year by replacing diesel buses with Proterra's EcoRide BE35™ buses is just too impressive for us not to explore more clean commuting options for our riders."

In September, Proterra worked with Foothill Transit to successfully rollout three of Proterra's EcoRide BE35™ transit buses. After only two months, those buses have accumulated several thousand miles of data indicating that the EcoRide will meet or exceed its claims of achieving a 500% improvement in miles per gallon (diesel equivalent) performance over conventional diesel buses. In addition to its unmatched energy efficiency and overall cost savings, Proterra's clean transit solutions offers California transit agencies solutions to address the Zero Emission Bus (Zbus) rule, which requires large California agencies to purchase 15 percent of their annual bus orders as zero emission buses starting in 2012.

Proterra will manufacture the new orders at its current assembly line plant in Greenville, South Carolina and plans to break ground on a new and larger plant at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research during the next several months.

About Proterra's EcoRide BE35™

Proterra's EcoRide BE35™ buses are unlike any conventional or hybrid-electric passenger bus available on the market today. The bus significantly reduces air and noise pollution for riders and local communities, while dramatically reducing vehicle operation costs for transit agencies. The EcoRide BE35™ contains all electric components, including an electric drive motor supplied by UQM that allows greater acceleration than that of a conventional bus, combined with leading technology solutions that allow for a quiet and smooth uninterrupted ride. With up to three hours of operation and the ability to recharge in less than 10 minutes on route, Proterra's buses can easily be incorporated into any transit agencies' existing routes without impacting their schedules or routes while delivering a quieter, more comfortable experience to riders. Additionally, without the maintenance or fuel costs associated with conventional buses, the EcoRide BE35™ achieves a 500 percent improvement in fuel economy, and greater than $400,000 savings in total lifetime operating expenses.

About Proterra Inc

Proterra is answering the international call for efficient, cost-effective and environmentally responsible heavy-duty vehicle solutions. Headquartered in Golden, Colorado, Proterra is a leading designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty electric drive systems, energy storage systems, vehicle control systems, transit buses and fast charging stations. Proterra's systems are scalable to all forms of commercial buses and Class 6-8 trucks. Proterra's initial products, a 35' battery-electric transit bus and on-route fast charging station, have been designed from the ground up to enable a world's first ever solution for transit agencies to replace conventional diesel buses on a one-for-one basis with all-electric buses operating 24/7. This is accomplished by combining Proterra's light-weight composite body, highly efficient ProDrive™, advanced TerraVolt™ energy storage system and on-route rooftop FastFill™ charging station to charge the bus in 5-10 minutes. The vehicle achieves between 18 and 29 miles per gallon diesel fuel equivalent fully loaded with 68 passengers – 500% better than a comparable diesel bus. For more information on Proterra and its technology please visit: www.proterra.com

SOURCE Proterra Inc