Category: Mobility Hub

Lake Tahoe’s First Electric Transit Bus Fleet Marks First Year of Service

Lake Tahoe’s First Electric Transit Bus Fleet Marks First Year of Service

Receives FTA Grant for $3.4 Million to expand fleet with four new hybrid buses

July 12, 2023, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. — Partners in the Lake Tahoe Basin’s first electric charger mobility hub gathered at Lake Tahoe Community College today to mark a historic year of service for the area’s first zero-emission electric transit bus fleet and collect a check from the Federal Transit Administration. Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) won a competitive federal grant process and is receiving $3.4 million to expand the area’s clean transit fleet with four new hybrid buses. The grant is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

TTD’s Clean Transit Initiative is focused on improving fleet reliability, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Lake Tahoe Basin, providing a clean and quiet solution for neighborhood transit, and reducing operating costs while helping TTD meet the standards of the California Air Resources Board’s Innovative Clean Transit Rule years before it is required.

The Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) Mobility Hub project includes two 450-kilowatt overhead, fast chargers to accommodate on-route charging of electric buses along with a 60-watt pedestal charger for the overnight charging of the electric buses. The facility also features passenger amenities including heated ADA-accessible sidewalks, bicycle storage and maintenance station, and passenger notification screens. The project was developed through a strategic partnership with TTD, LTCC, and Liberty Utilities.

In one year of service, the zero-emission electric buses have run a total of 66,861 miles saving an estimated 13,372 gallons of diesel fuel resulting in the elimination of 136.11 metric tons of CO2 from the environment.

During the ceremony, TTD officials did a live demonstration of noise pollution reduction in neighborhoods with the use of electric transit. Using a handheld decibel meter, the diesel bus idle noise levels hit 80 decibels. The electric bus registered at 50 decibels.