Lightning Systems to Convert Diesel Buses in Boulder, Colorado to Battery Electric

Lightning Systems, a developer of zero-emission solutions for commercial fleets, is partnering with the City of Boulder and Via Mobility Services to repower diesel buses with battery-electric systems.

Upon the success of the first vehicle, additional HOP service buses may be converted, providing an efficient and cost-effective alternative to replacing the entire fleet with new electric buses. Repowering an existing diesel transit bus with the LightningElectric product will cost a third of the price of a new electric bus.

In addition, there is a backlog of two years or more for new electric buses from other manufacturers, so the repowered buses will allow Via and the City of Boulder to quickly reach their goal of an all-electric fleet in an expedited timeframe.

The city and Via staff plan to continue to transition the entire HOP fleet to zero-emission vehicles in the near-term.“People in Boulder are very interested in reducing the carbon footprint in all that we do,” said Frank Bruno, chief executive officer, Via Mobility Services. “Boulder is built on a strong value system for recycling, so why not recycle our buses? Recycle them and make buses out of buses. That’s the motivation we’ve had for doing this. We hope that, upon approval, this partnership with Lightning Systems will blow the market open for repowering old buses around the country, reduce emissions in local environments, and stabilize costs for the future.”

“Repowering this demonstration vehicle with Lightning Systems helps us on our path to meeting our greenhouse gas emission and climate commitment goals,” said Natalie Stiffler, Boulder senior transportation planner. She added that Boulder and Via are working on the Resiliency Project, a renewable energy project focused on adding solar at Via’s facility, which currently powers 30 percent of its business using solar energy.

In February 2017, the City of Boulder and Via secured federal and state funding for the purchase of their first electric bus, along with charging infrastructure to serve the HOP transit route. Via’s 63rd Street facility has a large solar array and is in the process of installing battery storage and on-site generation capabilities.

 

Category: General Update, Green, News