University of Michigan adds four electric buses to its fleet
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - The University of Michigan recently added four new all-electric buses to its fleet. It's the first time the school will be operating the fully-electric vehicles.
Its current fleet features 56 vehicles and operates 23.5 hours a day.
The new vehicles include three 40-foot buses and one 60-foot articulated bus, which can run on a single charge for long periods.
"According to the manufacturer New Flyer, our 60-foot bus will go approximately 150 miles," said General Manager of Transportation and Maintenance at U-M Bill McAllister. "Our 40-foot buses, it's around 230 miles. And those are in ideal conditions, right? Up to 20% of the range can be affected just by your driving habits."
According to a University of Michigan release, an all-electric bus produces 74% less greenhouse gas emissions than a diesel-powered bus.
Currently, the university has 29 diesel-hybrid buses and 27 regular diesel buses in circulation.
As for charging, McAllister said it takes roughly seven hours to reach a full charge, and for now, all charging will take place at U of M's new Transportation Center on North Campus.
"In the future, we may look to put charging out on the routes themselves, which would allow us not to constantly have range anxiety," he said. "And to put the buses into service for longer periods of time."
Community members on campus said they were overall supportive of the university's move toward an electric fleet.
"I think it's kind of cool that they're switching over to electric buses," said University of Michigan Hospital employee Tanae Troupe. "I don't know too much about them, but I think it will definitely be more sustainable for the environment."
"The buses run, like all day, every day," said incoming U-M sophomore Maura Puro. "It's got to use a lot of gas. I'm sure it's harsh on the environment. We do have a lot more renewable resources for electricity versus gas, so it seems like that would be a really good idea."
Transportation staff will conduct validation testing throughout the summer to test each vehicle's range before they go into service in the fall.
