Proterra Electric Bus

Colorado-based Proterra has its protype vehicle on a California road trip to show technology it hopes will change the commuting world.

Government officials, business leaders and techies in San Jose, California got a first look this afternoon at a prototype passenger bus showcasing new all-electric technologies.

Colorado company Proterra built the bus to showcase its drive, energy storage and vehicle control systems—breakthroughs which it ultimately hopes to license to other vehicle manufacturers.

But in the meantime, Proterra is making buses itself. And because of the investment the company has made in futuristic carbon fiber design, its new BE35 model is turning heads.

"We get a lot of comments," Proterra CEO and President Jeff Granato told the Cleantech Group. "I think transit agencies like that, because they're trying to drive more people to public transit."

The Proterra BE35, which is fully electric—unlike other hybrid-electric passenger buses available—showcases what the company calls a first-of-its-kind fast charge system enabled by the company's use of nanotechnology-based lithium batteries from Altairnano of Reno, Nevada. Altairnano has claimed to deliver full charges in ten minutes in the past.

The fast 10 minute charge is a central aspect of our vehicle and our marketing. We have a fast charge station that we would deploy in fixed route programs, where the vehicles are coming back to the same point once an hour or once every few hours. Transit is a perfect application for this type of technology, as they already have scheduled layovers.

Other advances showcased by Proterra include all-electric components managed by vehicle management systems to minimize energy usage throughout the vehicle, regenerative braking that recaptures over 90 percent of the vehicle's kinetic energy available during braking, and a new battery management system intended to optimize energy efficiency and system life.

The bus is powered by electric motors from UQM Technologies, a popular choice among other makes of next-generation vehicles. The company, like Proterra, also hails from Colorado.

The company has priced its bus 30 percent higher than conventional diesel or hybrid alternatives, but CEO Granato maintained Proterra's BE35 still offers compelling economics for purchasers.

Assuming diesel at three dollars a gallon, we net a savings of $310,000 over the life of a single bus, just on fuel costs. When you include other operational savings, for instance, because the parts in an electric vehicle don't wear out as often, that number goes up.

Added crash-worthiness of the vehicle's carbon fiber construction, and ease of carbon fiber repair versus steel also contributes to 70 percent lower body repair costs, said Granato.

While in San Jose to officially unveil the new bus, Proterra wouldn't say how many units the city might buy, but it claimed to be soon closing several North American orders in the second quarter of the year. But the end-game, according to Granato, is licensing to OEMs, including two in other countries they are in discussions with.

"Our intention is to be partnering with existing manufacturers once we get up into quantity. Because we realize that the capacity for manufacturing trucks and buses already exists. Our focus is on the technology to help take those existing vehicles to the next level with our technology."

Those companies include New Flyer, Gillig, Orion and others, all of which have been building buses for ten years or more, Proterra recognized.

After its launch today in San Jose, Proterra is to make stops in selected California cities including Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco. In each city, Proterra plans to meet with energy, environmental, and municipal stakeholders and introduce its BE35 as a way to meet the state's aggressive emission reduction standards.

Proterra has been funded to date by government grants and private investors. The company is now raising a series A round.