The utility hopes to partner with Green Mountain Transit, which is the public bus operator in the city, or another transit provider such as the University of Vermont, according to public filings. At least one electric bus could be in use in Burlington during 2017, according to BED’s filings this fall with the Public Service Board.
The Burlington power utility would fund a nearly $70,000 incentive to assist a transit agency with the higher purchase price of a battery-powered bus. The investment would go toward BED’s requirements for energy savings under Vermont’s renewable energy standard, which was enacted in law last year.
The money would be set aside for GMT or other public transit authorities to use when the time comes to purchase new vehicles.
The electric bus program — BED calls it a pilot project — would be among the first steps in the utility’s push to power Burlington within 10 years in a way that effectively represents no carbon dioxide pollution, said Burlington Electric Communications Director Mike Kanarick.
The “net zero” emissions milepost is a relatively new idea at BED, Kanarick said, but it’s one the utility believes can be achieved within a decade. The major obstacle is transportation, Kanarick said. Statewide, transportation generates more than 40 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions, and that figure within Burlington alone is somewhere in the same vicinity, Kanarick said.
The electric bus program could satisfy Burlington Electric’s requirements under the state’s energy procurement rules while furthering that effort, Kanarick said.
Those rules require utilities to offset some small percentage of annual energy consumption with projects intended to reduce fossil fuel use for heating and transportation. This investment satisfies what’s known as Tier III, or the “energy transformation” component, of the state’s renewable energy standards.
BED filings indicate the move also would save money.
The electric buses would generate less noise and exhaust than diesel-powered buses, and fuel and maintenance costs are projected to be substantially lower.
However, electric buses cost about $215,000 more to buy than nearly identical diesel models ($669,000 for a 35-foot electric bus, compared with $454,000 for diesel), the BED report says.
That extra expense should be recoverable through the vehicle’s lifespan, BED estimates. It made its calculations with the help of information from Green Mountain Transit.
If diesel costs $2.40 a gallon, an electric bus would save $44,000 over its 12-year life compared with an equivalent diesel-powered bus including all costs and savings, such as decreased fuel and maintenance expenses and the increased upfront cost of the bus, the report states. Vermont’s average diesel price is currently $2.53 a gallon, according to the state Agency of Transportation website.
The switch to electric buses would save even more when social costs, like those caused by the effects of auto pollution, are considered, BED officials said.
Potential downsides to the electric buses include their relatively short range, which may be further limited by Vermont’s cold weather and hilly terrain. The range is about 150 miles per charge, although recent advancements could push that as high as 350, according to the report.
Most of Green Mountain Transit’s buses travel around 30,000 miles each year, consuming around 7,000 gallons of diesel and emitting 77 tons of carbon dioxide, the BED analysis said.
About 15 of the diesel buses in Green Mountain Transit’s fleet have been in service for more than 14 years or 370,000 miles. GMT officials say these buses are considered near the end of their useful lives and in need of replacement.
The Federal Transit Administration recommends public transit buses remain in service for at least 12 years or 500,000 miles. Transit agencies generally must reach these benchmarks to obtain federal funding for bus purchases without needing to repay any portion of the federal investment, the report states.
Only about 400 battery-electric buses are in operation in the country, BED says, many in California and South Carolina. It’s not clear how Vermont’s weather might affect the buses, and that’s a question the proposed pilot program is intended to answer. Electric buses are likely to be affected by terrain, weather and a host of other factors, BED’s filing says.
The utility said more analysis is needed to calculate just how much credit BED should receive in its efforts to meet renewable energy standards. But the Department of Public Service reviewed and supports the preliminary analysis the utility submitted this month.
“We can do the models and predictions, but without the routes and the results we won’t know for sure what the savings are” in carbon emissions and other operating information, Kanarick said. A pilot project would establish these figures, he said.
Any incentive BED would provide potentially could be used as a local match for the purposes of securing federal or other grant money, BED officials say.
Green Mountain Transit officials couldn’t be reached for comment on the filing.
The Public Service Board is accepting public comments on the proposal through Friday.
