Amtrak just rolled out its first-ever electric bus

electrek.co ^ | August 21, 2023 | Michelle Lewis

[lowbridge]

Amtrak has replaced a diesel-powered bus on the Pacific Northwest’s Cascades route with its first electric bus.

Amtrak, which partnered with the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to roll out its new electric bus, will run it between Seattle and Bellingham, filling the gap between the morning and evening trains on the Cascades route. It uses buses all over the US to run thruway connecting services, which are scheduled to connect with Amtrak trains.

Amtrak’s first electric bus is a 45-foot Van Hool CX45e. It has a 660 kWh Proterra lithium-ion battery system and 260 miles of range. It’s owned by coach operator MTRWestern, and it can make the nearly 200-mile round trip on a single charge. The charging hub, which features ABB EV chargers, is at MTRWestern’s Seattle facilities, where large petroleum tanks used to be stored.

The electric bus used on the Cascades route will save approximately 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year, cutting CO2 emissions by 109 tons annually, according to Amtrak, which has pledged to become net zero by 2045.

[ConservativeInPA]

has a 660 kWh Proterra lithium-ion battery system

What a boondoggle. Proterra just filed for bankruptcy. Kiss your tax dollars goodbye.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

[chajin]

cutting CO2 emissions by 109 tons annually

Not counting the belching coal furnaces of the power company, of course.

[Revel]

And in the end a major chemical polluter even before its first day of service.

I also remember seeing video of of a parked EV bus burst into flames. It only takes a minute. If you are not off you are toast.

[jonrick46]

I bet that electric bus weighs so much it tears up the roads The taxpayers can only take so much!

[Olog-hai]

Well, if an average Greyhound diesel bus has a 190-gallon tank and gets average fuel economy of 6 mpg, that means the range is 1,140 miles. IOW, the diesel bus can go 5.7 times further than the electric bus.

[j.havenfarm]

Not so, or at least not yet. 86% of power in the area is hydroelectric. Of course, no efforts are under way to increase hydro production in the area to accommodate our glorious all-electric fire. Details details
https://www.pudwhatcom.org/services/electric-service/

[Olog-hai]

Sorry; make that 4.4 times further.

[Olog-hai]

Gross vehicle weight rating for this bus is 54,000 lbs. Compare the heaviest MCI D-series at 48,000 lbs.

[jdt1138]

I love all the high tech stuff but to see the ‘national rail road’ turn my tax money into landfill is saddening.

[frank ballenger]

I thought trains ran on those tracks.🚌⚡🔥🚑🚒🚑🚒🚑🚒🚒🏥🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️

Is there a story city bus service debuts first electric railroad engine on Main Street?
🚉⚡🔥🚑🚒🚑🚒🚑🚒🚑🚒🏥🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️

[llevrok]

the extra weight the batteries carry will hasten the break down of the road surface. Which means re-surfacing with 1) oil based asphalt or 2) natural gas kiln lime made cement

Yup. saving green house gases....

[jdt1138]

Gol-ley

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Lithium is a highly reactive metal which burns readily; chemically Lithium is a cousin of magnesium, another highly reactive alkaline earth metal. Magnesium is what was used in the firebombs which destroyed Tokyo, Dresden, and dozens of other cites during WWII. Lithium would have been a fine substitute.

[Gene Eric]

the eco-retards don’t care

[JayGalt]

How long til the first fire?

[Olog-hai]

What country is that?

[BobL]

Not that it matters to Leftists, since they’re spending OUR MONEY, but there are now grounded FLEETS of electric buses that I remember reading about (can’t remember the city or cities, though). They simply DO NOT work, regardless of what the Ukraine War supporters claim.

[Tupelo]

“Amtrak, which partnered with the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT)”

Government owned corporation partnering with a government agency in order to......
What could go wrong?