Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) recently unveiled its first long-range electric bus that will cover a route between Lake Highlands and Lakewood.
The bus joins a fleet of seven short-range electric buses that have operated on DART Bus Route 28 since 2018, per a news release from DART on March 9.
All eight buses were made by Proterra, an EV manufacturer that specializes in commercial vehicles for heavy-duty applications.
The short-range electric buses are 35-foot-long Proterra Catalysts with a range of about 30 miles. But the long-range electric bus is a 40-foot-long Proterra ZX5 Max that can travel for a minimum of 300 miles, explained Gordon Shattles, a DART spokesperson, per Community Impact.
This range is made possible by six lithium-ion battery packs that carry a total charge of 675 kWh, per the DART news release. For perspective, the average American household consumes roughly 30 kWh a day.
The long-range bus operates on Bus Route 20, which mainly runs along Northwest Highway from Bachman Station to the South Garland Transit Center. Its stops include White Rock Station and the intersection of Skillman Street and Merriman Parkway.
Shattles explained that the next year would test how the long-range bus performs in extreme weather, per Community Impact.
DART will be examining whether the bus manages to keep passengers cool when outside temperatures climb this summer. Additionally, it remains to be seen how well the bus will perform during winter storms.
In Chicago, the local transit authority has noticed its electric buses struggling to keep a charge when winter weather conditions strike, per AP News. Most of the drain occurs while keeping the bus interior heated, especially given that passengers are constantly entering and exiting through the open doors.
Despite these challenges, the Windy City aims to transition to an all-electric fleet by 2040.
As for DART, the $780,000 bus is an investment in sustainable and efficient transportation, per Community Impact.
At its inception, DART ran diesel buses but has since dabbled in other fuel types, including liquid natural gas and low sulfur-diesel. It also uses compressed natural gas.
Despite being quieter and perhaps cleaner because of its all-vinyl seats, the long-range electric bus offers more or less the same experience to passengers as the rest of the DART fleet.
It nonetheless represents a significant milestone for DART. The long-term performance of the bus will help determine what paths the transit agency takes in the future.