AUSTIN, Texas — The city of Austin's public transportation agency is putting a pause on adding more electric buses.
Currently, roughly a quarter of all of CapMetro's buses are electric, but the agency has seen a series of issues expanding that number, according to a report from KUT.
While an electric fleet produces less greenhouse gas emissions compared to diesel-powered vehicles, the buses also need time to charge. Battery buses only run about eight to 10 hours, which only covers approximately 36% of CapMetro's current schedules.
Meanwhile, diesel buses last longer on average before they need to be filled up with gas.
Not only that, but hot Texas temperatures require more air conditioning on buses and Austin's hilly terrain causes batteries to die quicker.
Additionally, KUT reports that CapMetro's standard diesel buses faced mechanical problems roughly every 3,800 miles last May, while its electric fleet experienced issues every 1,200 miles during the same timeframe.
With these issues, just less than half of all e-buses were temporarily out of use for repairs last year.
Finances have also proven to be a problem for CapMetro's partners. In order to build the e-buses, CapMetro hired Proterra and New Flyer. Proterra went bankrupt in 2023, while New Flyer reportedly lost millions following the COVID-19 pandemic.
When were e-buses first introduced in Austin?
Approximately six years ago, CapMetro began testing battery-powered buses in the city. In 2019, official plans were made to introduce and hold more than 200 e-vehicles, in an effort to go green.
Two years later, in 2021, the board approved a purchase of 197 electric buses to move the vision forward.
Now, there are 23 out of 402 battery-powered buses, or 5.7%, in use, with 87 more on order. After the new buses arrive, the transportation agency plans to pause additional purchases for the time being.
