First electric bus added to New York’s NFTA fleet
Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTY) has unveiled its new $1 million electric bus. The first of many within a future fleet, the project was aided by a $3 million National Grid grant.
The coming years will see the New York State public-benefit corporation, NFTA, add many more electric buses to its fleet with the aim of significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The project was aided by a $3 million National Grid grant, which was approved in 2021. The grant was made possible because of a $5.1 million allocation from New York State to support make-ready, electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructures for electric buses in Buffalo and Albany.
The grant supports an upgrade of the NFTA’s electric delivery service to 23,000 volts, which is necessary to provide the required electric capacity to charge the buses.
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NFTA has 330 buses in its fleet, which are powered by diesel engines, diesel-electric hybrids or compressed natural gas.
Future NFTA bus purchases will include some with fuel-powered engines, although electric buses will be purchased along the way as the agency replaces buses that reach 15-years-old.
At an unveiling event, NFTA executive director Kimberly Minkel thanked National Grid for its grant and project support.
National Grid vice president of customer and community, Melanie Littlejohn, commented on how projects such as these support NFTA’s clean energy targets, and New York state’s goal to eliminate its reliance on fossil fuels.
Said Littlejohn, “At National Grid, we know that winning the fight against climate change requires emissions reductions across multiple sectors of the economy, including transportation.
“… by working together, achieving a clean energy future is possible. That’s why we’ve been engaged in discussions and seeking collaborations with agencies like NFTA, our customers and municipalities about a range of initiatives to achieve a clean energy future.”
As part of National Grid’s commitment to sustainability, Littlejohn stated that discussions with customers include talking about various programmes that help customers convert their fleets to electric.
“We also can provide detailed assessments as well as infrastructure incentives for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles,” Minkel added.
“These kinds of discussions are ongoing and important, because electricity will shape the future of public transportation.”
