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The Center for Transportation  & the Environment (CTE) was selected by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) to assist with the Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) Roadmap  & Pilot Program. Steve Clermont, Senior Engineering Consultant and Director of Planning and Development, along with others at CTE will build a model using real-world route data and simulate bus performance in order to aid operational decisions for MTS. CTE will also work with the transit agency and local utility providers to determine utility rate schedules that would be the most appropriate for the type of charging that the transit agency will use in their deployment. This pilot program will pave the way for MTS's transition towards 100% zero emissions.CTE is joined by AECOM and Fiedler Group, and shall be subcontracted to assist in the assessment of SDMTS facilities to accommodate electric charging and/or hydrogen refueling infrastructure and assess impact to depot operations and maintenance.

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Here is a commonly asked questions related to this news update:What do utilities companies have to do with electric buses?Utilities companies charge differently depending on a number of factors: amount of electricity consumed, demand of electricity at the time of consumption, and the rate at which the user is consuming the energy are only a few factors affecting the price that transit agencies pay. CTE works with transit agencies like MTS to understand when would be the best time to charge buses for the lowest rate according to the unique factors affecting an area or region.