In Chicago, adapting electric buses to winter’s challenges

By TOM KRISHER
AP Auto Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — The No. 66 bus rattles just like a regular diesel bus on Chicago’s west side, but no one seems to notice the high-pitched whine of the electric motor that makes it go. That’s just what Chicago Transit Authority wants. Buses that don’t pollute the air yet can run reliably — even when cold weather cuts into the battery range. But to make electric buses work, the CTA has had to go to great lengths and expense. It built fast-charging sites on both ends of the route to keep the buses going. No. 66 is the first of many routes that will be converted to battery power as the CTA moves to all-electric by 2040. Other U.S. transit systems are making similar moves.