Proterra has received $30 million USD in new funding, including $6 million from GM Ventures to provide short range electric buses to businesses.
Proterra developed a way to make shorter range electric bus travel feasible. The worst problem that electric vehicles have is the cost of their battery packs/banks. They are so expensive that they alone elevate the cost of electric vehicles far above that of gasoline models, and short range models are cheaper but their range is too short. Therefore, manufacturers of these vehicles either have to back them up with onboard generators which supply power to the motor or charge the batteries, or they choose the more expensive option and use large battery packs which store plenty of energy.
Proterra is capitalizing on the fact that the lithium titanate batteries powering their buses can be charged in 10 minutes, and therefore can be charged at each bus stop that has a charger setup. The distance between bus stops is normally short, making it possible to use very short range batteries which enable them to travel 30-40 miles per charge and keep recharging them frequently.
Short range buses are more efficient than long range models because they are lighter due to fewer batteries. Two more advantages of such a setup are that fewer batteries cost less money, and reduce the price of the bus.
Proterra claims that the lithium titanate batteries they use to power these buses are able to handle frequent and fast charging all day, every day, unlike traditional lithium ion batteries which they say would break down after only a few years of that abuse.
Time will tell if this project is feasible and will reveal any flaws it may have. Real world testing is always necessary to fully ensure that it is practical.
