PHILADELPHIA, July 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As the nation
converges on Philadelphia for the
historic 2016 Democratic National Convention (DNC), the
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA),
Proterra and PECO will demonstrate their shared commitment to
sustainable transit by providing test rides on an American-made
electric bus, the Proterra Catalyst®. The project is one
component of Philadelphia's
commitment to hosting the most sustainable national political
convention ever.
SEPTA, along with Proterra and PECO, invites residents,
delegates and visitors to SEPTA headquarters at 1234 Market Street
to tour and ride SEPTA's soon-to-be-deployed battery-electric bus
on Monday, July 25 from 1-5 p.m., and Thursday,
July 28 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. In addition to the tour and
demonstration, SEPTA will debut a new lobby exhibit showcasing the
evolution of SEPTA's bus fleet over the years. Those interested in
seeing the bus, or taking a ride, can learn more about the event by
using #SEPTAINABLE on Twitter.
SEPTA, one of the largest transit agencies in the United States and operator of one of the
greenest bus fleets in the nation, serves as a model transit agency
and case study for the economic and environmental advantages of
going electric. To better serve the 3.9 million residents across
the five counties in Southeastern
Pennsylvania, SEPTA was awarded a $2,585,075 million grant from the Federal Transit
Administration to purchase 25 Proterra Catalyst buses and five
overhead chargers that will begin operating on two routes in
South Philadelphia in 2017.
"SEPTA is looking forward to adding 25 emission-free electric
buses from Proterra," said SEPTA Board Chairman Pasquale T. Deon. "SEPTA already has one of the
greenest bus fleets in the nation, with over half of our vehicles
operating diesel-electric hybrids. The addition of electric buses
furthers our commitment to a sustainable future for our riders and
local residents."
PECO, Pennsylvania's largest
electric and natural gas utility, has worked closely with SEPTA and
Proterra to provide EV bus charging infrastructure during the DNC.
PECO also will support the overhead charging installations in the
coming months. In addition to this effort, PECO's parent company,
Exelon, is the official zero carbon energy provider of the 2016
Democratic National Convention.
"We are pleased to join SEPTA and Proterra in supporting clean,
sustainable energy and transportation solutions at the 2016
Democratic National Convention," said Craig
Adams, PECO President and CEO. "As part of the nation's
largest energy services company, we are taking a leadership
position in advancing the clean electric vehicle market across our
region."
"As more cities embrace zero-emission mass transit, we are
honored to partner with SEPTA and PECO at such a historic event,"
said Ryan Popple, CEO of Proterra.
"Looking back on how far the electric bus industry has come over
the last few years, it is very promising to see buses operating
coast to coast. We look forward to gaining more support, as other
cities understand that EVs offer higher performance, better
economic savings and a number of environmental and public health
benefits."
About Proterra:
Proterra is a leader in the design
and manufacture of zero-emission vehicles that enable bus fleet
operators to eliminate the dependency on fossil fuels and to
significantly reduce operating costs while delivering clean, quiet
transportation to the community. Proterra has sold more than 252
vehicles to 28 different municipal, university, and commercial
transit agencies throughout North
America. Proterra's configurable EV platform, battery and
charging options make its buses well suited for a wide range of
transit and campus routes. With unmatched durability and energy
efficiency based on rigorous U.S. certification testing, Proterra
products are proudly designed, engineered and manufactured in
America, with offices in Silicon Valley, South Carolina, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit:
http://www.proterra.com and follow us on Twitter
@Proterra_Inc. Media Contact: pr@proterra.com
About SEPTA:
The Southeastern Pennsylvania
Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is the sixth largest public
transportation system in the U.S., with an average weekday
ridership of approximately 1.1 million. SEPTA's service area covers
2,202 miles in Philadelphia,
Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties. SEPTA also provides rail
service to Delaware and
Trenton, N.J. SEPTA operates
multi-modal transportation services, including two
subway/subway-elevated lines, 118 bus routes, eight trolley routes,
three trackless trolley routes, one inter-urban High Speed Line, 13
Regional Rail (commuter rail) lines and ADA Paratransit
service.
About PECO:
Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural
gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC). The
company's 2,400 dedicated employees provide advanced, innovative
energy solutions to 1.6 million electric and more than 511,000
natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. In 2015 PECO delivered 86.9
billion cubic feet of natural gas and 38 billion kilowatt-hours of
electricity. The company also has an estimated annual economic
impact of $4.5 billion in
Pennsylvania, supporting more than
9,600 local jobs and producing $760
million in labor income. Founded in 1881, PECO is one of the
Greater Philadelphia Region's most active corporate citizens,
providing leadership, volunteer and financial support to numerous
arts and culture, education, environmental, economic development
and community programs and organizations. For more information
visit PECO.com, and connect with the company
on Facebook and Twitter.
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SOURCE Proterra