Clean Buses US 2023

Event
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Title	Clean Buses US 2023
Description	Over 150 participants from more than 75 organizations registered for the second annual conference on 'Clean Buses in the US’, which took place on November 9-10, 2022 at InterContinental San Francisco.
Start Date	November 8, 2023
End Date	November 9, 2023
Location	San Francisco CA
Website	Website
Virtual Access	No

There is tremendous momentum in deployment of zero emission buses (ZEBs) in the US. Currently, more than 5,500 full-size ZEBs are operating across the country. This is an increase of more than 65 per cent in deployment since 2021. The number of small ZEBs has also increased substantially.

This growth is driven by the US administration's aim to transition to a 100 percent clean, ZEB fleet by replacing 50,000 diesel transit vehicles to achieve the climate goal of net zero by 2050. Record-levels of Federal funding has been made available through various programs including the Low-No Grants, the Bus and Bus Facilities Grants, the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, and the Clean School Bus Program. Many state-level policies, introduced in the past few years, have also contributed to the growth in the ZEB fleet.

California continues to be the leading state in the deployment of ZEBs, followed by Washington, New York and Florida. Many other states including Arizona, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine have also significantly increased their ZEB fleet over the past 2 years. Transit agencies have largely focused on the deployment of battery electric buses (BEBs), although the uptake of fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) has also increased noticeably.

As transit agencies and operators continue to explore and expand ZEB deployment, there are several challenges that they face. These pertain to the ideal fuel mix, an optimal strategy for ZEB deployment, effective setting up of infrastructure, TCO in a rapidly changing technology environment, performance of ZEBs, developing a business model for ZEBs, partnerships with utilities, and so on. Further, technological challenges have continued to impact the performance of ZEBs. These relate to power consumption, energy storage capacity, range, energy efficiency, high grid emissions, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

That said, the industry is also making concerted efforts to improve technology and that coupled with the government’s clear vision to transition to a cleaner fleet, ZEB deployments are expected to further grow significantly in this decade.

To discuss these developments, challenges and opportunities, Global Mass Transit is organizing its third conference on “Clean Buses US”, on November 8-9, 2023 in the San Francisco Bay Area.