FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2024

CONTACT
Kate Mason
[email protected]
(615) 419-5185

Atlanta, GA — The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) announces the kickoff of a new project aimed at significantly extending the life of battery electric bus (BEB) batteries and reducing the overall cost of bus ownership for transit agencies. The project, funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) under the Transit Vehicle Innovation Deployment Centers (TVIDC) program, will focus on developing a practical method for tracking battery state of health and identifying best practices for battery operation, charging, and maintenance.

Lithium-ion batteries are the most expensive component of an electric bus, and understanding how to maximize their lifespan is crucial for the widespread adoption of BEBs in public transit. This project will leverage CTE’s extensive network of transit agencies and bus manufacturers to create a comprehensive database of BEB state of health data. By analyzing this data, CTE will identify key factors that contribute to battery degradation and develop actionable recommendations for fleet operators.

“Extending the life of batteries is essential to making battery electric buses a cost-effective and sustainable option for transit agencies,” said Dan Raudebaugh, CTE’s Executive Director. “By developing a practical state of health tracking method and identifying best practices to extend their life, we can help transit agencies reduce maintenance costs, improve vehicle reliability, and accelerate the transition to a zero-emission transportation system.”

CTE will collaborate with The Ohio State University’s Center for Automotive Research, which will provide expert advisory support throughout the project. Ohio State's extensive experience in similar projects related to light-duty electric vehicles will be instrumental in guiding the analysis and interpretation of the collected data.

Under the TVIDC program, CTE is poised to deliver an ambitious portfolio of projects that advance the adoption of zero-emission transit solutions. This project will produce a practical method for transit agencies to track BEB battery health, a comprehensive database of battery performance data, and actionable recommendations for optimizing battery life. By sharing these findings with the industry, CTE aims to accelerate the adoption of electric buses and reduce the overall cost of transit operations.

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ABOUT CTE

The Center for Transportation and the Environment is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to improve the health of our climate and communities by bringing people together to develop and commercialize clean, efficient, and sustainable transportation technologies. CTE collaborates with federal, state, and local governments, fleets, and vehicle technology manufacturers to complete our mission. If interested in learning more about CTE, please visit cte.tv.