The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), a nonprofit based out of Atlanta, has been selected by the Ames Transit Agency (CyRide) to create a Zero-Emission Bus (ZEB) Roadmap.
CyRide is a collaboration among Iowa State University (ISU), ISU’s student government and the City of Ames, Iowa. Providing bus transportation for both the city and ISU, CyRide currently has a number of hybrid buses.
The ZEB Roadmap will provide a feasibility and deployment plan determining actions and costs that would need to be taken to maximize battery electric bus (BEB) usage in CyRide’s daily service.
CyRide has grown rapidly over the past decade, expanding from a system averaging approximately 4 million rides per year to a system quickly approaching 7 million rides per year, or 106 rides per capita.
CTE will assist CyRide with simulating BEB operations in the agency’s entire bus transit service to provide a recommendation on where the buses can be operated efficiently within the system.
“We are excited for the opportunity to help Midwest transit agencies like CyRide to tactically deploy ZEB technologies in ways that optimize the operational, financial and environmental benefits associated with electric drive systems,” says Joel Donham, engineering consultant at CTE. “We look forward to developing solutions for fleets that plan to run ZEBs well past the standard 12-year service life.”
CTE offers ZEB planning services that holistically evaluate economic costs, risks and performance expectations in order to develop strategic ZEB transition timelines based on an agency’s current fleet management plan. CTE is also in the process of developing plans for transit agencies such as AC Transit, SolTrans, LA Metro, San Diego MTS and Spokane Transit.
