Proterra, Inc.

Proterra, Inc., is an American automotive and energy storage company based in Burlingame, California. The company designs and manufactures electric transit buses and electric charging systems. Proterra's Catalyst series includes transit buses ranging from  to  in length and various battery configurations. Buses are charged through an overhead charging station that is placed at maintenance facilities as well as route terminals.

History 
Proterra, Inc., was founded in Golden, Colorado, by Dale Hill in 2004. Hill had previously founded TransTeq, a Denver, Colorado, bus manufacturing company that built CNG hybrid buses throughout the 1990s, as well as Alumatech, a manufacturing company that made aluminum dump trailers.

Following the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)'s push for alternative fuels and forms of mobility through such programs as the Clean Fuels Grant Program Bus and Bus Facilities, and the TIGER and TIGGER programs, Hill wanted go beyond the success of his CNG buses that launched the world's first fleet of alternative fuel buses at the 16th Street Mall in Denver, Colorado. He wanted to create a company that would take the lead in creating zero-emission, U.S.-based transit buses.

This was particularly important since many of the programs, including the Clean Fuels Grant Program and the TIGGER program, either exclude CNG buses and facilities, explicitly require capital investments that assist in reducing the energy consumption of a transit agency, and/or reduce greenhouse gas emissions of a transit agency.

In February 2010, Proterra announced that it would move its manufacturing plant from Golden, Colorado to Greenville, South Carolina due to its close proximity to Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). In October 2011, the company announced it would consolidate all operations in Greenville, moving management and research teams from Colorado.

Ryan Popple, formerly of Tesla Motors, was appointed CEO in 2014.

In 2015, Proterra was awarded a $3 million grant from the California Energy Commission to fund the design, development and construction of the company's battery-electric transit bus manufacturing line in the City of Industry, California.

Proterra moved its headquarters from Greenville, South Carolina, to Burlingame, California, in October 2015.

As of January 2017, the company has sold more than 375 buses to municipal, corporate and university transit agencies in 20 states.

In September 2018, Daimler invested $155 million in Proterra.

Products

EcoRide BE35 

Proterra's EcoRide BE35 is a  composite body, fast-charge, battery electric bus that seats 38 (including the driver) and has a passenger capacity of 60. Foothill Transit was the first user of the buses, which rolled out in September 2010. It is the first  or larger, heavy-duty all-electric bus ever to complete federally required durability, reliability and safety testing at the Bus Research and Testing Center at Altoona, Pennsylvania. The 12yr/ STURAA test was completed on March 5, 2012.

Results from the STURAA test showed an average, combined fuel economy of  or  diesel equivalent. Compared to the buses it replaces—conventional diesel buses average ; CNG buses return  diesel equivalent; and diesel-hybrid buses average about —the results are up to 600% better. During  of testing at Altoona for the first BE35, unscheduled maintenance included the replacement of the transmission (twice) and the traction motor (once).

Foothill Transit has been working with the California Air Resources Board and the United States Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to study the real-world performance of its Proterra buses. Observed economy for twelve BE35 buses in the Foothill Transit fleet was  diesel equivalent, compared to an observed  diesel equivalent for a fleet of eight NABI 42-foot CNG-fueled buses. However, the BE35 fleet operates on circulator routes at slower speeds compared to the NABI CNG fleet, which were dispatched as needed to any Foothill Transit route. The BE35 fleet achieved an availability of 80.6%, less than the desired 85% availability due to constraints on parts availability and low-voltage battery (i.e., not the propulsion batteries) reliability; the NABI CNG fleet achieved an availability of 96.8%. Total maintenance costs for the BE35 fleet ($0.41/mi) is also higher than the maintenance cost for the NABI CNG fleet ($0.27/mi).

The vehicle's 220-kW electric motor is powered by a lithium–titanate battery supplied by Altairnano that can be recharged in 5–10 minutes while stopped at a bus stop via overhead terminals connected to a charging station, without driver involvement. Charging, which would normally take place during a brief layover, typically provides sufficient charge for a further  of operation. , Proterra will grant royalty-free access to the patents covering their overhead charging system.

Catalyst 

In 2014 Proterra introduced the Catalyst, a fast-charge 100% electric bus to replace the EcoRide BE35. 
The bus was built on the EcoRide's design and engineering and delivered a longer, lighter and more fuel-efficient bus.

The second-generation bus measures  and weighs approximately .
The bus is built from lightweight, durable carbon composite. The overall lower weight helps reduce wear and tear on streets. It has no tailpipe and runs virtually silent.

With the on-route fast charging system, the Catalyst can be operated continuously, 24/7, without the need to head to the depot for lengthy charge times. Catalyst buses equipped with the Fast Charge (FC) battery pack can charge at a rate of up to 500 kW. The company added a  model of the Catalyst to its product line October 2015.

Catalyst is a modular system, offered with two different lengths, two different drivetrains, and seven different batteries, depending on the required passenger capacity, speed (hill performance), and range, respectively.

NREL also studied two Catalyst 40FC buses in the Foothill Transit fleet operating in 2017. The two Catalyst 40FC were slightly less efficient at  diesel equivalent compared to the BE35s and suffered from the same low-voltage battery issues, resulting in an availability of 81.3% and a maintenance cost of $0.32/mi.

Battery options
Buses equipped with the FC (Fast Charge) family of batteries are intended for circulator routes; XR (eXtended Range) battery buses are intended for intermediate-mileage routes; and E2 (Efficient Energy) battery buses are intended for high-mileage routes. The buses were initially offered with lithium-titanate batteries, which Proterra redesignated the TerraVolt FC. The TerraVolt XR lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide batteries were introduced in 2015 with improved range but slower charging, and the TerraVolt E2 batteries were introduced in 2016 with the longest range and slowest charging.

Batteries are carried under the Catalyst chassis, and use an interchangeable mounting system, so each Catalyst can hold between four and ten battery packs. The batteries can be swapped out, upgraded, or reconfigured as needs change.

Others
In July 2018, Foothill Transit announced they had ordered two Alexander Dennis Enviro500EV double-decker buses with powertrains built by Proterra. The Enviro500EV will use Proterra Catalyst E2 battery packs, on-board charging hardware, and thermal management.

Development and manufacturing 
Proterra is a national company with its headquarters in Silicon Valley and manufacturing in San Gabriel Valley within metro Los Angeles and in South Carolina's Upstate Region—utilizing strengths and competitive advantages of all locations.  The Proterra headquarters is centrally-located in California, home to America's largest concentration of electric vehicle and transportation technology development in North America and the number one market for transit in the U.S.  The company also operates a West Coast manufacturing facility in the City of Industry, California.  Proterra's East Coast manufacturing and engineering operations are located in Greenville, South Carolina and sits directly outside CU-ICAR. CU-ICAR's 250-acre campus—its research is focused entirely on industry needs and economic development—gives Proterra access to research and development resources that help further development of its EV buses and charging stations.

Current and future operations 

, Proterra stated it had sold more than 400 vehicles to more than 45 customers in 20 states. Current operations and future purchases include:

Notes

Investors 
Since inception, Proterra has been funded through FTA grants as well as venture capital funding. Since 2011 Proterra has raised more than $130 million in private equity funding. Investors include:

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a venture capital private equity firm based in Silicon Valley.
General Motors Ventures LLC.
Mitsui & Co. Global Investment Inc., a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
Vision Ridge Partners LLC, a Boston-based organization that advises and invests in transformative growth companies with a focus on sustainability.
88 Green Ventures LLC, an investment firm that manages asset capabilities to assist emerging green companies.
TAO Capital Partners, invests in technology, alternative energy, healthcare, consumer, and real estate businesses that have a sustainable positive impact.
BMW i Ventures

See also 

BYD Auto

References

External links

Altoona testing
 Ecoride BE35 (BE35  BE35, test 2)
 Catalyst (BE40  E2  FC  PD)

Category:Electric bus manufacturers
Category:Bus manufacturers of the United States
Category:Companies based in Burlingame, California
Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers based in California
Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 2004
Category:2004 establishments in Colorado
Category:Electric vehicle manufacturers of the United States