Proterra Secures Three-year Lease Program with New York MTA

Demonstrating the combined economic, environmental and performance benefits of deploying a zero-emission, all-electric bus service to support New York City's climate and transportation goals

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Proterra

Sep 12, 2017, 08:00 ET

BURLINGAME, Calif., Sept. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Proterra^®, the leading innovator in heavy-duty electric transportation, announced that New York MTA, which operates the largest bus fleet in the U.S., has leased five Proterra Catalyst^® E2 buses that are outfitted with WiFi and USB charging ports. As part of MTA's fleet, Proterra's Catalyst E2 buses will go into service this December and initially serve routes B39 and B32 in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. The lease program aims to evaluate the combined economic, environmental and performance benefits of deploying an all-electric bus fleet. Over the three-year lease, Proterra expects MTA to reduce 2,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and save approximately $560,000¹ on maintenance and operating costs.

Each weekday, MTA serves on average 2.4 million riders with over 5,700 buses circulating New York City streets. MTA transit operations have already successfully reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 17 million metric tons each year. However, this program represents MTA's continued commitment to decarbonizing its transportation systems to meet New York City's goal of reducing emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

The lease program will provide the MTA with actionable data on what works best in New York's metropolitan environment, and will help inform future electric bus procurements. Having endured in extreme weather conditions across the U.S., including the 2014 polar vortex, the Proterra Catalyst E2 buses are well equipped for the seasonal wear and tear in New York.

This zero-emission bus program also supports New York State's Reforming the Energy Vision (REV), which aims to integrate more electric vehicles seamlessly into the electricity grid. By pushing more intelligence into the grid, the program will also help inform electricity rate design for battery electric transit buses as well as what's needed to manage an electric bus fleet at scale using demand charge management software and pricing signals.

"New York MTA is beacon for modern public transit in the United States, and it is our honor to serve the thousands of Brooklyn passengers that rely on this accessible and affordable service day in and day out," said Proterra CEO Ryan Popple. "It is our commitment at Proterra to continue to improve the transit experience, so that all riders and communities can enjoy the local benefits of zero-emission bus transit."

About Proterra:
Proterra is a leader in the design and manufacture of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles, enabling bus fleet operators to significantly reduce operating costs while delivering clean, quiet transportation to local communities across the United States. With more than 400 vehicles sold to 41 different municipal, university, airport and commercial transit agencies in 20 states, Proterra is committed to providing state of the art, high-performance vehicles to meet today's growing market demand. The company's configurable Catalyst platform is capable of serving the full daily mileage needs of the toughest transit routes on a single charge. With unmatched durability and energy efficiency based on rigorous U.S. certification testing, Proterra products are proudly designed, engineered and manufactured in America, with offices in Silicon Valley, South Carolina and Los Angeles. For more information, visit: http://www.proterra.com and follow us on Twitter @Proterra_Inc.

¹Based on Proterra's Total Cost of Ownership calculations, individual maintenance and operations savings per vehicle is $448K v diesel over a 12-year life of a bus. The MTA lease is for 3 years for 5 buses. Thus;