Jackson testing new electric bus
The town of Jackson is working to reduce its carbon footprint. It received a federal grant to fund eight new electric buses. They will replace eight buses in the town’s current fleet of about 26. The electric buses are made by a company out of California called Proterra. The buses put out zero emissions and are five times more efficient than the diesel buses currently running.
“The buses that Jackson will be getting will actually have 660 kilowatt hours of energy,” said Alan Westenskow, director of business development for Proterra. “That’s a lot of power. That’s enough energy that, when combined with the efficiency, will give them well north of 200 miles of range on those buses.”
The buses are being tested this week to show how well they do in the cold and snowy climate. It is also a chance for bus drivers and mechanics to get a feel for how the buses work. They have two batteries on the bottom of the bus that help lower the center of gravity, making them more stable, especially on icy roads.
“It actually has two motors,” Westenskow said. “So each of the rear wheels has its own motor that operates. And it actually gives you essentially twice the acceleration, twice the horsepower of a diesel bus because you’ve got so much energy there and so much torque with it being electric.”
This isn’t the exact type of bus that will be running in Jackson. Proterra and the transit department are still designing things such as the layout of the seats and color of the bus. They are also working on infrastructure to bring electricity from the grid to the buses for charging. The Jackson buses will be built this fall and then start running this time next year. The plan to have energy efficient transportation is all part of the goal.
“Our Teton County and town of Jackson comprehensive plan specifically cites goals and our environment and reducing emissions,” said Darren Brugmann, town of Jackson transit director. “And improving transportation and mobility is one of our main visions and goals that the town and county have set.”
The buses don’t need oil changes and will need few brake changes. The goal is to have 40 percent of the bus fleet be zero emissions by 2022.
