Motiv Electric Trucks and Hudson County Motors will deploy the first of three fully electric, zero-tailpipe-emission shuttle buses in the Township of Woodbridge, New Jersey, to shuttle senior citizens from retirement homes and assisted living facilities to other area destinations including shopping malls, restaurants and grocery stores. The first vehicle was unveiled at the New Jersey League of Municipalities annual conference in Atlantic City.
Each shuttle bus is 24 feet long and can comfortably seat up to 14 passengers. The 127-kWh lithium-ion battery packs have a range of up to 105 miles and can be charged with both common Level 2 AC charging and DC fast charge. The fixed-route nature of the shuttle program ensures that the buses can complete their rounds well within the battery range, while lower-cost overnight charging prepares the shuttles for the next day’s runs.
The buses feature Motiv’s EPIC4 platform and bodies built by Endera Motors, a provider of electric shuttle and school buses. Hudson County Motors, a 70-year-old, family-owned truck dealer, facilitated the sale and will continue to provide services for the fleet. The buses are produced with engineering, manufacturing and assembly in Michigan, Ohio and California.
“The Township of Woodbridge has long been a leader in advancing sustainability across the board, and the addition of these buses is just another step to reduce pollution and emissions,” says Tom Del Gaudio, new vehicle sales manager at Hudson County Motors. “We’re looking forward to ensuring these great new vehicles deliver on the promise of comfortable, clean and safe transportation.”
“Helping senior citizens get out and about is so important to emotional and physical health, which is why this program is so critical for our residents,” said John McCormac, mayor of Woodbridge. “These new buses will have an immediate and continuing beneficial heath impact on the senior citizens who ride on the shuttle bus, the driver of the bus, the township employees who service the township fleet and the Woodbridge communities through which it travels every day of the year.”
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) awarded grant funds to the Township of Woodbridge for six electric heavy-duty vehicles, three of which are all-electric Motiv shuttle buses. DEP has dedicated the use of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) funds to accelerate transportation electrification in New Jersey.