Town of Vail adds six new battery electric buses

The Town of Vail recently issued the following press release on six new battery electric buses:

The Town of Vail is continuing progress toward its goal of a 100% clean energy bus fleet by 2032 with the addition of six new battery electric buses. Two more buses are expected to arrive this fall, which will bring the total to 12 electric buses in its 33-bus fleet, or over one third of its fleet size. 

The new battery electric, low floor buses have an increased battery capacity of 686kw compared to the previous generation’s 440kw, which will allow the buses to operate on most of Vail Transit’s routes, including East Vail and West Vail 

The town was awarded over $3.5 million for the six buses already delivered and another $1.6 million for the two coming later this fall.  Another $600,000 was awarded for infrastructure and accompanying new chargers from Chargepoint at the town’s bus barn, which is powered by renewable energy and allows the new buses to be charged overnight. The funds came from a combination of state and federal grants with the town contributing approximately $2.6 million for the buses and about $100k for the chargers. 

The town began preparing for the transition in 2017 after researching various manufacturers and testing the reliability of battery electric buses during a series of high-altitude demonstrations. The town contracted with Gillig, LLC, one of the leading manufacturers of heavy-duty transit buses in the U.S., to supply the buses.

“We are committed to achieving our Climate Action goals,” Vail Mayor Travis Coggin said. “The transportation sector is one of the top contributors of greenhouse gas emissions in Vail and Eagle County. Transitioning to electric vehicles greatly reduces emissions and is one of the most effective ways to achieve our goal of reducing emissions measured in 2014 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.”

The transition to battery electric buses is one of numerous initiatives taking place in Vail’s commitment to achieving the goals of the Climate Action Plan for the Eagle County Community and the town’s adopted Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan. Other transportation actions include: encouraging adoption of electric vehicles; providing Town of Vail residents, businesses, and employees rebate incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles and installation of EV charging stations through the Town of Vail’s partnership with the Energy Smart Colorado program; participation in the annual EV Ride and Drive events; improving the electric vehicle charging corridor by adding additional Level 2 and Level 3 electric vehicle charging stations; implementing the Sole Power Green Commuting Challenge for Eagle County to encourage human powered commuting; reducing single occupancy vehicles on the road through smart commuting practices such as taking the bus, carpooling, biking and working remotely; and funding and encouraging use of Shift Bike, the regional electric bike share program and participation in the E-Bikes for Essentials program, an e-bike ownership program for income-qualified essential workers in Vail.  

Vail Transit has provided a high level of year-round transit service for locals and guests since the 1970s. Deploying a fleet of 33 buses over nine winter routes and seven summer routes, Vail Transit delivers approximately 2.8 million passenger trips annually, making it one of the largest free transit agencies in the United States.

For more information on the Town of Vail bus program visit vail.gov/bus.

Click here for more information