Breathe easier. An average American burns around 525 gallonsof fuel a year– that sounds expensive. Airports Authority), San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, CA (Foothill Transit), Date unknown (5 from Proterra, 5 from New Flyer), San Francisco, CA (SF Metropolitan Transit Authority), Hoboken, NJ (Columbia University shuttle system), 2018, 2019 (Proterra, Byd, and New Flyer), Louisville, KY (River City Transit Authority), Philadelphia (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority), Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA). There are many companies worldwide that are engaged in the manufacture of electric buses (not including component parts) or electric-diesel hybrids. Many major cities and counties around the world are pledging to shift their entire fleets to BEBs by specific dates in the future. According to the Israeli Ministry for Protection of the Environment, every year, 2,200 people die in Israel as a direct result of air pollution. Meanwhile, rival BEB manufacturers Proterra and New Flyer subsequently demonstrated their vehicles' competency on steep grades and other performance challenges in testing scenarios. They’ll also reduce air pollution and respiratory illnesses. City buses (vs. inter-city or charter buses) are especially well-suited to electric power because they are regularly returned to a central depot where they can be recharged, and they don't operate over long ranges. On June 21, FTA announced that it was making another $366.3 million (FY2018 funds) available for competitive grants for transit bus projects. Electric engine’s energy losses are significantly lower than diesel engine’s energy losses, so the cost per kilometer of electric bus travel is about a third of the cost of a diesel bus ride. Our reliance on petroleum makes us vulnerable to price spikes and supply disruptions. Numerous cities around the world have announced plans to replace diesel, gasoline, and CNG/LNG buses with battery-powered models because they don’t emit pollutants and have lower fuel and maintenance costs. There are substantial benefits for Dominion, too. The cost of maintenance is about 25% lower than the maintenance cost of a diesel bus, since the electric motor doesn’t need the same level of services the diesel engine needs. According to the Freedonia Group study Global Bus Market, sales of electric and hybrid buses will climb at a brisk pace through 2021, outperforming demand for conventional diesel and gasoline models by a substantial margin. At the end of 2017, China captured headlines when they announced that Shenzhen had fully electrified their bus fleet. By 2040, 80 percent of the world’s city bus fleet will be electric, along with 33 percent of the world’s cars. BEBs are powered by battery packs that run an electric motor to turn the wheels, the same as battery-powered electric cars. Some of their recommended actions at the federal and state levels include: Some members of Congress are considering introducing legislation that promotes some of these policies. Operational flexibility. Electric buses are highly efficient and have lower operating costs than diesel buses. Battery electric buses offer zero-emission, quiet operation and better acceleration compared to traditional buses. On April 23, FTA announced that it had made another $84.45 million available of FY2018 funds to states and direct recipients for the purchase or lease of low- or no-emissions vehicles and related equipment and facilities (under FTA’s “Low-No” Vehicle Program, which is part of the Bus and Bus Facilities infrastructure Investment Program). It is estimated that there are currently about 386,000 electric buses deployed around the world, with 99 percent of them in China, and less than 0.1 percent (only 350 buses) in the United States. Thus, BEBs offer a better option than other bus technologies for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, as well as other harmful pollutants in urban areas. Arsema Andargatchew and Wondwossen Sintayehu describe how the City of Addis Ababa is considering the use of electric buses in a bid to reduce air pollution overall.