New Report Highlights Guidance for Zero-Emission Bus Industry from National Transit Leaders
ATLANTA, Ga. - The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) is pleased to announce the release of the Transit Vehicle Innovation Deployment Centers (TVIDC) Advisory Panel Overview and Conclusions report. This report, prepared by CTE and published by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), is the culmination of discussions held by the CTE-led Advisory Panel. The report provides the conclusions of the panel and details its suggested solutions to challenges of continued innovation, development, and adoption of zero-emission transit technologies.
Under FTA's TVIDC program, CTE formed the panel to address transit bus testing and research topics related to zero-emission bus (ZEB) development and adoption. Participants include more than a dozen transit agency general managers, leading transit bus manufacturers, all three federal bus testing centers, and public transit advocacy groups including the American Public Transportation Association. Panel discussions were convened in August 2019 in Los Angeles and in January 2020 in Chicago. A third panel discussion was planned but due to the COVID-19 public health emergency was postponed. This report is based on the first two meetings.
The panel report suggests strategies aimed at improving and guiding five key elements of the growing zero-emission transit industry: bus testing facilities, innovation research, transit bus automation, workforce development, and collaboration with electric utilities. The strategies range from focusing research resources on efficiency improvements and resiliency to forming a collaborative working group between transit agencies and electric utilities. More information on the strategies and the panel discussions can be found in the report.
"The release of the Advisory Panel's conclusions comes at a pivotal moment for the zero-emission transportation industry," said Dan Raudebaugh, CTE's Executive Director. "As efforts to decarbonize the transit industry gain momentum, a coordinated effort is necessary to effectively use research, program, and training resources."
As a nonprofit organization with over 27 years of experience advancing and deploying ZEBs, CTE played a valuable role not only in bringing diverse stakeholders together but also bridging the gaps between these stakeholders to prioritize objectives and develop recommendations for the future of zero-emission transportation. Looking forward, the guidance in this report will be useful for program decision-making, equipping the FTA to provide effective programs that better serve the ZEB industry and accelerate the adoption of clean transportation technologies throughout the United States.
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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. Learn more at www.cte.tv.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL TRANSIT ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY PANEL
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) established the Transit Vehicle Innovation Deployment Centers (TVIDC) program to research the advancement, production, and deployment of advanced vehicle technologies and infrastructure within the public transportation sector. The TVIDC program, managed by the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) and CALSTART, assembled the Transit Vehicle Innovation Deployment Advisory Panel, later renamed to the National Transit Advanced Technology Advisory Panel, to meet and develop suggested solutions to the challenges of continued innovation, development, and adoption of zero-emission transit technologies.
Transit members on the panel include GM or C-level executives from Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), Denver RTD, AC Transit, San Diego MTS, SunLine Transit, Foothill Transit, Mountain Line Transit, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Broward County, LexTran, Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA), and Capital Metro. The transit bus industry is represented by executives from BYD, GILLIG, New Flyer, Nova Bus, and Proterra. Other participants include the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Calstart, Ohio State University, Auburn University, and the Penn State Altoona bus testing center.
