The state of Washington is among the first of 43 states to receive federal money for green transportation. During the Smart Growth Conference in Seattle on Monday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that some of the economic recovery funds targeted toward greenhouse gas and energy reduction will go to a project for battery-powered zero-emission circulator buses.
The buses will use lithium-ion titanate batteries and should eliminate 688 metric tons of carbon dioxide and equivalents from the air each year—adding up to 8,250 metric tons over the lives of the vehicles.
The project will operate in Washington state’s economically distressed Chelan and Douglas counties through the local transportation authority, Link Transit.
“The Economic Recovery Act was put in place quickly to rescue the economy from the worst recession since the Great Depression,” said Secretary LaHood. “Today we’re bringing construction jobs and environmentally clean transit to Chelan and Douglas Counties.”
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, Link Transit will get $2.9 million to replace five diesel-powered circulator buses with five new electric-powered buses, purchase two state-of-the-art “rapid recharge” charging stations and supporting equipment for Link Transit’s intermodal transit center and fund one contract employee to provide project management and technical oversight.
“These funds will create clean-energy jobs and will help Link Transit save on energy costs and reduce pollution in Chelan and Douglas Counties,” said Senator Patty Murray in a statement.
Buses that run on lithium-ion titanate batteries can be charged in just a few minutes, thereby allowing for uninterrupted, all-day service. The advancement overcomes a key limitation of the previous battery-operated electric buses that took several hours to recharge.
The Link Transit changing stations will be built in the Wenatchee communities in Chelan County. The area has an unemployment rate of 10.7 percent. East Wenatchee in Douglas County has an unemployment rate of 11.6 percent. Construction spending and employment in Chelan and Douglas counties have gone down almost 40 percent since 2008.
The grant is the first of 43 Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction grants given under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. A total of $100 million will be released for all 43 projects.
The buses will use lithium-ion titanate batteries and should eliminate 688 metric tons of carbon dioxide and equivalents from the air each year—adding up to 8,250 metric tons over the lives of the vehicles.
The project will operate in Washington state’s economically distressed Chelan and Douglas counties through the local transportation authority, Link Transit.
“The Economic Recovery Act was put in place quickly to rescue the economy from the worst recession since the Great Depression,” said Secretary LaHood. “Today we’re bringing construction jobs and environmentally clean transit to Chelan and Douglas Counties.”
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, Link Transit will get $2.9 million to replace five diesel-powered circulator buses with five new electric-powered buses, purchase two state-of-the-art “rapid recharge” charging stations and supporting equipment for Link Transit’s intermodal transit center and fund one contract employee to provide project management and technical oversight.
“These funds will create clean-energy jobs and will help Link Transit save on energy costs and reduce pollution in Chelan and Douglas Counties,” said Senator Patty Murray in a statement.
Buses that run on lithium-ion titanate batteries can be charged in just a few minutes, thereby allowing for uninterrupted, all-day service. The advancement overcomes a key limitation of the previous battery-operated electric buses that took several hours to recharge.
The Link Transit changing stations will be built in the Wenatchee communities in Chelan County. The area has an unemployment rate of 10.7 percent. East Wenatchee in Douglas County has an unemployment rate of 11.6 percent. Construction spending and employment in Chelan and Douglas counties have gone down almost 40 percent since 2008.
The grant is the first of 43 Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction grants given under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. A total of $100 million will be released for all 43 projects.
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