AMP Electric Vehicles today will be delivering the first of two all-electric paratransit buses that will be operated by the Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority (BARTA), located in Berks County, Pa.
The vehicles will first be delivered to Malvern, Pa.-based Momentum Dynamics for final adjustments to the wireless charging system. AMP's battery electric power train and Momentum Dynamics' wireless charging system replace the 6.8 liter, V10 gasoline-powered engine original equipment package in the 2013 Ford E450 bus.
The all-electric Ford E-450-based bus will be deployed in paratransit service by BARTA later this summer.
According to AMP, the BARTA bus has a 100 kWh battery pack and an expected range of up to 100 miles on a full charge, with seating for eight passengers and a wheelchair. Momentum Dynamics' wireless system charges the batteries when the bus is parked over a charging pad. Onboard software manages the connection between the charging pad and the vehicle.
“This project is important to BARTA's mission to provide safe, efficient, convenient and dependable public transportation and will at the same time be part of the environmental and energy solution to our community,” says Dennis D. Louwerse, executive director/CEO of BARTA.
