COLORADO SPRINGS — A pilot program adding electric buses to the Mountain Metro Transit system is in plans for Colorado Springs. “Three electric buses,” said Wendy Patterson with Mountain Metro Transit. The plan is testing how the reliability of the buses compared to the 61 diesel buses in the current fleet.
The test will gather data considering how battery power holds up to the hilly terrain and hot to cold weather swings in the Pikes Peak Region. "An electric vehicle can run anywhere from 150 to 250 miles each day and our routes would be limited to that,” said Patterson, So, we're kind of looking at what routes an electric vehicle will be potentially best to run on."
The price of an electric bus is twice the cost of the standard diesel type. Fuel and maintenance saving would counter the cost long-term. Mountain Metro Transit is able to purchase the three pilot buses with settlement money form the Volkswagon emissions suit.
