Lightning eMotors will offer a second generation repower program to municipal and private transit agencies in North America for 40-foot transit buses to be repowered from diesel or CNG internal combustion to zero-emission battery-electric powertrains.
The buses will be repowered at the firm’s Loveland, Colorado factory or one of its authorized repower partners. The repowered buses will carry an up to 560-kWh battery system and deliver over 200 miles of range on a single charge. Customers will be able to electrify their entire fleet at less than half the cost and a third of the lead time needed for acquiring new electric buses.
“Lightning’s transit bus repower program provides transit agencies a significantly more affordable and faster way to electrify their bus fleets and ensure clean and quiet operation for passengers and pedestrians alike,” said Mac Burns, Director of Product Management, Lightning eMotors. “With increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and offer clean transportation solutions, we are confident fleet operators will see the sustainability benefits of converting existing diesel-powered vehicles to electric power rather than letting them end up in a landfill.”
In addition, Lightning will train the customer’s fleet maintenance team if a large fleet needs to be repowered. The team will be trained to install Lightning’s electrification kit on their own. Transit Repower operators will also have access to Lightning’s complementary products and services, including Lightning Insights open API fleet telematics software, Lightning Energy stationary chargers and Lightning Mobile portable chargers.
The first repowered buses are expected to be deployed in 2023.
Moreover, customers opting to repower their transit buses will be eligible for the same federal and state funding as new electric buses.
“There has never been a better time for transit fleet operators to accelerate the transformation of their fleets to zero-emission electric,” said Nick Bettis, Director of Marketing and Sales Operations for Lightning eMotors. “Available federal and state-level funding provides a much-needed solution to the financial challenge in electrifying fleets in this sector and, with Lightning’s Transit Repower program, fleet managers can extend the lifecycle of current fleets quickly, affordably and responsibly versus new purchases.”
