The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) has partnered with Broome County Transit (BC Transit) to deploy six 40’ GILLIG battery electric buses (BEBs) and purchase six Heliox/Siemens 180 kW chargers. BC Transit was the only transit agency in New York to receive 2021 Low or No Emission (Low-No) funding from the Federal Transit Administration. In addition to the 2021 Low-No award, a local share of federal funding was granted to BC Transit, paired with state funds from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Truck Voucher Incentive Program, to support Broome County’s first BEB deployment.
CTE has been providing project management and technical support to Broome County to achieve a successful BEB deployment by 2025. This initial deployment of six BEBs will inform BC Transit’s future zero-emission bus deployments and the agency’s goal of transitioning to a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035 in alignment with the Broome County Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Long-Range Plan.
CTE issued a charger vendor Request for Information that helped to inform the agency’s decision to procure chargers from Heliox/Siemens for their unique overhead-mounted installation. PlugIn Stations Online is contracted to lead the design, analysis, and construction process for the charging infrastructure, with the New York Power Authority managing the site build.
GILLIG has projected bus production to begin July 2025 with a targeted delivery date of August 2025. CTE will provide periodic inspection support during the build. Upon bus delivery, CTE will conduct validation testing prior to revenue service deployment set for October 2025. Additionally, CTE will provide monthly key performance indicator reports for Broome County in early 2026.
