Proterra Bus Fire Prompts California Agency to Consider Shelving Electric Bus Fleet

[Franklin Pierce]

Electric buses are melting in sun, too expensive to fix, transit official says

An electric bus manufactured by Proterra caught fire while charging in a southern California city that is now considering taking the electric buses off the road, according to government records.

The Foothill Transit agency, which serves the valleys surrounding Los Angeles, will decide on Friday whether costly Proterra buses purchased in the last decade are still operable. Problems cited by the agency include not only the bus that caught fire in what's described as a "thermal event," but also buses that melt in the California heat and have transmission failures. Roland Cordero, the agency's director of maintenance and vehicle technology, says the problems with the buses are exacerbated by Proterra's inability to help with repairs.

"With the number of failures we are experiencing and the inability of Proterra to provide parts, these [Battery Electric Buses] BEBs will only get worse as we continue to operate them whenever the BEBs are available for service," Cordero wrote ahead of Friday's executive board meeting, where the agency will debate taking Proterra buses out of service.

The electric bus company, which has been hailed by the Biden administration as the future of mass transportation, has seen its stock plummet in the last month as reports pile up about problems with its product. In Philadelphia, mechanical failures and weak battery performance forced city officials to shelve buses received as recently as 2019. In Duluth, Minnesota, the buses were taken off the road because their brakes couldn't handle the city's hills. The publicly known failings of Proterra's buses have not deterred key members of the Biden administration, including the president himself, from touting the company on multiple occasions.

Proterra Bus Fire Prompts California Agency to Consider Shelving Electric Bus Fleet - Washington Free Beacon

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

Uhh... just a question. But what is the matter with using natural gas for mass transit?

 

[Franklin Pierce]

GM issues second recall of Chevy Bolt EVs after vehicles Catch Fire

General Motors has issued a second recall of its 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt EVs after at least two of the electric vehicles that were repaired for a previous problem erupted into flames.

The automaker said Friday that officials with GM and LG Energy Solution, which supplies the vehicle’s battery cells, have identified a second “rare manufacturing defect” in the EVs that increases the risk of fire. The recall covers about 69,000 of the cars globally, including nearly 51,000 in the U.S.

To fix the problem, GM said it will replace defective battery modules in the vehicles, which can be costly but will be free to owners. The automaker says the repair is different than the previous fix, which largely relied on software and, in some cases, replacement modules.

In the meantime, GM is asking affected Bolt EV owners to set their vehicles to a 90% state of charge limitation using Hilltop Reserve mode (for 2017-2018 model years) or Target Charge Level (for 2019 model year) mode.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/23/gm-...chevy-bolt-evs-after-vehicles-catch-fire.html

 

[hog88]

Uhh... just a question. But what is the matter with using natural gas for mass transit?

If the global warmig-davidians were truly interested in the environment and climate change they would be pushing hard for NG pipelines, vehicles and nuclear power plants.

 

[Franklin Pierce]

Audi Recalls First Electric Vehicle in US on Battery Fire Risk

The E-Tron, which went on sale in the U.S. in April, is Audi’s first fully-electric car and one in a wave of contenders from traditional automakers looking to challenge Tesla Inc.’s dominance of the segment.

Volkswagen AG luxury brand Audi is recalling its first all-electric vehicle due to the risk of a battery fire.

The company issued a voluntary recall of approximately 540 E-Tron SUV models sold in the U.S. because of a risk that moisture can seep into the battery cell through a wiring harness glitch, spokesman Mark Dahncke said. The company isn’t aware of any fires or injuries because of the flaw, which affects a total of 1,644 models, he said.

The E-Tron, which went on sale in the U.S. in April, is Audi’s first fully-electric car and one in a wave of contenders from traditional automakers looking to challenge Tesla Inc.’s dominance of the segment. While electric vehicles are no more prone to accidents or fires than gasoline-powered carsーand might be less so, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrationーthe lithium-ion battery technology that powers them is still evolving, and there is no consensus on safe system design.

StackPath

 

[VolStrom]

Uhh... just a question. But what is the matter with using natural gas for mass transit?

The gas is needed for power plants to recharge Teslas and busses. The energy losses are just an added benefit.

 

[deezvols]

Uhh... just a question. But what is the matter with using natural gas for mass transit?

It’s hard to virtue signal with gas

 

[OrangeTsar]

Electric vehicle mandates remind me an awful ot of the 1970s when the government dictated that we would all adopt the metric system. We got the two liter soda but the rest died a slow whimpering death. Same way with the EV, we will get Tesla and Prius, but in 50 years, we will still mostly be driving internal combustion powered automobiles. Some things sound good in theory but are will never take hold.

 

[Orangeburst]

It’s hard to virtue signal with gas

I do it everytime I see a progressive

 

[lawgator1]

Electric buses are melting in sun, too expensive to fix, transit official says

An electric bus manufactured by Proterra caught fire while charging in a southern California city that is now considering taking the electric buses off the road, according to government records.

The Foothill Transit agency, which serves the valleys surrounding Los Angeles, will decide on Friday whether costly Proterra buses purchased in the last decade are still operable. Problems cited by the agency include not only the bus that caught fire in what's described as a "thermal event," but also buses that melt in the California heat and have transmission failures. Roland Cordero, the agency's director of maintenance and vehicle technology, says the problems with the buses are exacerbated by Proterra's inability to help with repairs.

"With the number of failures we are experiencing and the inability of Proterra to provide parts, these [Battery Electric Buses] BEBs will only get worse as we continue to operate them whenever the BEBs are available for service," Cordero wrote ahead of Friday's executive board meeting, where the agency will debate taking Proterra buses out of service.

The electric bus company, which has been hailed by the Biden administration as the future of mass transportation, has seen its stock plummet in the last month as reports pile up about problems with its product. In Philadelphia, mechanical failures and weak battery performance forced city officials to shelve buses received as recently as 2019. In Duluth, Minnesota, the buses were taken off the road because their brakes couldn't handle the city's hills. The publicly known failings of Proterra's buses have not deterred key members of the Biden administration, including the president himself, from touting the company on multiple occasions.

Proterra Bus Fire Prompts California Agency to Consider Shelving Electric Bus Fleet - Washington Free Beacon

From this we easily glean that all efforts at electric vehicles are doomed and unsafe.

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

From this we easily glean that all efforts at electric vehicles are doomed and unsafe.

Well, it may avoid is having to rob or occupy far off 3rd countries like Afghanistan to get their mineral resources to feed our battery needs.

 

[Orangeburst]

From this we easily glean that all efforts at electric vehicles are doomed and unsafe.

And yet your profession will see dollar signs

 

[Orange defense]

Electric cars and everything like that doesn’t work. Trump said it. Trump brought America to no.1 in the world wit gas and oil. Thanks to Biden, we’re now a joke again.

 

[VolStrom]

From this we easily glean that all efforts at electric vehicles are doomed and unsafe.

What do you drive counselor? Show us how woke you are.

 

[lawgator1]

What do you drive counselor? Show us how woke you are.

Honda CRV.

I'd consider the hybrid next go around but it is getting 36 mpg and my current gets 32, so not a significant difference.

 

[ETV]

Electric buses are melting in sun, too expensive to fix, transit official says

An electric bus manufactured by Proterra caught fire while charging in a southern California city that is now considering taking the electric buses off the road, according to government records.

The Foothill Transit agency, which serves the valleys surrounding Los Angeles, will decide on Friday whether costly Proterra buses purchased in the last decade are still operable. Problems cited by the agency include not only the bus that caught fire in what's described as a "thermal event," but also buses that melt in the California heat and have transmission failures. Roland Cordero, the agency's director of maintenance and vehicle technology, says the problems with the buses are exacerbated by Proterra's inability to help with repairs.

"With the number of failures we are experiencing and the inability of Proterra to provide parts, these [Battery Electric Buses] BEBs will only get worse as we continue to operate them whenever the BEBs are available for service," Cordero wrote ahead of Friday's executive board meeting, where the agency will debate taking Proterra buses out of service.

The electric bus company, which has been hailed by the Biden administration as the future of mass transportation, has seen its stock plummet in the last month as reports pile up about problems with its product. In Philadelphia, mechanical failures and weak battery performance forced city officials to shelve buses received as recently as 2019. In Duluth, Minnesota, the buses were taken off the road because their brakes couldn't handle the city's hills. The publicly known failings of Proterra's buses have not deterred key members of the Biden administration, including the president himself, from touting the company on multiple occasions.

Proterra Bus Fire Prompts California Agency to Consider Shelving Electric Bus Fleet - Washington Free Beacon

I guess this means the Speed 3 final chapter has been shelved.

 

[KB5252]

GM is breaking ground on a super expensive battery vehicle plant near me. No way they make that investment unless they are sure this is the future. I talked with one of their engineers recently who came into work. He told me if I ever get a battery powered vehicle make sure I never charge it in a garage....... The batteries melt down sometimes this way your won't burn your house down. He also said I should trade my vehicle in every couple of years...... To avoid cost prohibitive repairs.

 

[VolStrom]

GM is breaking ground on a super expensive battery vehicle plant near me. No way they make that investment unless they are sure this is the future. I talked with one of their engineers recently who came into work. He told me if I ever get a battery powered vehicle make sure I never charge it in a garage....... The batteries melt down sometimes this way your won't burn your house down. He also said I should trade my vehicle in every couple of years...... To avoid cost prohibitive repairs.

WTF. Oh nevermind, I just realized you talked to a GM engineer, the toilet bowl of car engineering.

 

[TNVOLNAVY]

Philadelphia scrapped the entire fleet costing taxpayers 100s of millions.


Report: Philadelphia’s Electric Bus Fleet in Complete Shambles

 

[KB5252]

WTF. Oh nevermind, I just realized you talked to a GM engineer, the toilet bowl of car engineering.

I don't know about GM or other car manufacturers but most engineers I've been exposed to were really only as good as the confines the employers imposed on them. There were two at my last employer that I worked really closely with, they were very good. But they left shortly before I did.

 

[allvol123]

GM is breaking ground on a super expensive battery vehicle plant near me. No way they make that investment unless they are sure this is the future. I talked with one of their engineers recently who came into work. He told me if I ever get a battery powered vehicle make sure I never charge it in a garage....... The batteries melt down sometimes this way your won't burn your house down. He also said I should trade my vehicle in every couple of years...... To avoid cost prohibitive repairs.

When you're too big to fail, you can probably pursue just about any venture.

 

[Velo Vol]

From this we easily glean that all efforts at electric vehicles are doomed and unsafe.

Wagon riders scoff at horseless carriage.

The Horseless Carriage Means Trouble

 

[Boca Vol]

Electric vehicle mandates remind me an awful ot of the 1970s when the government dictated that we would all adopt the metric system. We got the two liter soda but the rest died a slow whimpering death. Same way with the EV, we will get Tesla and Prius, but in 50 years, we will still mostly be driving internal combustion powered automobiles. Some things sound good in theory but are will never take hold.

Are 3D TV's still around? 10-11 years ago they tried to make it work.

 

[InVOLuntary]

Electric vehicle mandates remind me an awful ot of the 1970s when the government dictated that we would all adopt the metric system. We got the two liter soda but the rest died a slow whimpering death. Same way with the EV, we will get Tesla and Prius, but in 50 years, we will still mostly be driving internal combustion powered automobiles. Some things sound good in theory but are will never take hold.

Liquor of all things made the conversion. I want my fifth back!

 

[Franklin Pierce]

Proterra Lurches Into Damage-Control Mode in Wake of Free Beacon Reports

A slump in stock price and reports about Proterra's costly electric buses underperforming across the country have sent the Biden administration's favorite electric battery company into damage-control mode, retaining a top-flight defamation lawyer and inveighing against "partisan blogs" like the Washington Free Beacon and the taxpayer-funded NPR.

Proterra, the electric bus company linked to several Biden administration officials and top Democrats, has retained the services of high-profile attorney Erik Connolly, the company said. A Proterra spokesman said Connolly was hired to "address some recent false and defamatory publications about the company." Proterra also published a statement Monday night that sought to set the "record straight about mischaracterizations about our Company in recent partisan news blogs that are opposed to the widespread adoption of zero-emission vehicles."

It is unclear whether Proterra's reference to "partisan news blogs" refers to the taxpayer-funded NPR or the Free Beacon.

Proterra said that reports about its bus failures have been "twisted into an indictment of battery-electric technology," that the problems are limited to its "first-generation buses," and that its battery technology has never directly caused a fire.

"There has never been a fire on a customer bus related to our proprietary battery technology or powertrain," Proterra wrote in its statement.

The company's stock value has plummeted over 40 percent in the past month as Proterra's failures have garnered national headlines. The Biden administration has said it plans to support the company through its trillion-dollar infrastructure package, and both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have participated in public events showcasing Proterra buses. Biden energy secretary Jennifer Granholm is a former Proterra board member. Her stock holdings in the company, worth millions of dollars, were the subject of a Free Beacon report in April.

The details of the January 9, 2020, California Proterra bus fire remain murky. A spokeswoman for Foothill Transit initially told the Free Beacon that the bus caught fire while charging but said after publication that the fire wasn't a battery-related incident.

Proterra Lurches Into Damage-Control Mode in Wake of Free Beacon Reports - Washington Free Beacon