Charlotte Douglas International Airport Becomes Ninth Airport to Purchase Proterra® Battery-Electric Buses for Ground Transportation

BURLINGAME, Calif., June 17, 2019  /PRNewswire/ -- Today Proterra, a leading innovator in heavy-duty electric transportation, announced that Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) has agreed to purchase five 35-foot Proterra Catalyst^® E2 electric buses and five 125 kW Proterra® plug-in charging systems. As one of the busiest airports in the nation, CLT serves approximately 46 million passengers each year. CLT becomes the ninth airport to purchase Proterra electric buses for ground transportation and joins a growing list of major airports across the U.S. that are electrifying their fleets.

"At CLT, we are dedicated to implementing sustainable practices that are cost effective and that create a better experience for our employees and visitors," said CLT's COO Jack Christine. "CLT has the goal of fully transitioning its fleet to zero-emission vehicles, which brings both economic and environmental benefits to the airport and Charlotte community," Christine added.   

Proterra battery-electric buses will contribute to CLT's sustainability goals. Proterra Catalyst vehicles have no tailpipe emissions and decrease dependency on fossil fuels. Emissions are reduced by 230,000 pounds of CO2 annually each time a diesel vehicle is replaced by a Proterra electric bus.

In addition to the five electric buses, CLT is also installing five Proterra plug-in chargers. Proterra charging systems utilize the universal J1772-CCS Type 1 charging standard, enabling buses, utility vehicles and cars to share the same chargers. By planning for scale now, CLT can utilize the charging infrastructure for a range of battery-electric powered service vehicles in the future.

CLT is the first airport to leverage the Georgia State Contract to purchase Proterra electric buses. The state of Georgia underwent a testing and review process and selected Proterra as a statewide vendor for electric buses, and allows other states to leverage the state contract to simplify the process of purchasing electric buses. CLT's Proterra buses will be manufactured locally in Greenville, SC. 

Airports across the country are transitioning their ground transportation vehicle fleets to zero-emission buses, and CLT joins a growing list of airports across the nation that are leading this trend, including San Francisco International Airport (SFO), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Sacramento International Airport (SMF), Silicon Valley's Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport (SJC), Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), and Honolulu International Airport (HNL).

"Airports are an ideal use case for electric vehicle technology because of their predictable circulator routes and potential for shared charging infrastructure with other service vehicles in the fleet," said Proterra CEO Ryan Popple. "It's exciting to see airports from coast to coast, like CLT, make the commitment to transition 100 percent of their fleets to clean, quiet zero-emission buses."

Proterra will be at the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) conference in Boston from June 16-19 at booth #1218. Join Proterra at the booth to learn more about its zero-emission bus and charging technology, and step on board one of the new electric buses recently deployed by Port Authority of New York & New Jersey at LaGuardia Airport.

About Charlotte Douglas International Airport

As the 6th busiest airport in the nation and second largest hub to the world's largest airlines ? American Airlines, Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) welcomes more than 46 million passengers annually. CLT offers nonstop service to 178 destinations, including 37 international locations and three US territories, averaging 1,400 daily aircraft movements. Charlotte Douglas remains one of the fastest growing airports in the country with a keen eye toward the future. Destination CLT, a $2.5 billion development plan, kicked off in 2015. It includes construction of the elevated roadway, terminal expansions, concourse renovations and a fourth parallel runway to meet immediate growth demand. Touted as an economic engine of the Carolinas, CLT contributes $23 billion in annual economic output, $1.1 billion in state/local taxes, 132,330 jobs for N.C. residents and $5.7 billion in personal income. (source: North Carolina: The State of Aviation Report, North Carolina Department of Transportation.)

About Proterra:

Proterra is a leader in the design and manufacture of zero-emission, heavy-duty electric vehicles, enabling bus fleet operators to significantly reduce operating costs while delivering clean, quiet transportation to local communities across North America. The company's configurable Catalyst platform is designed to serve the daily mileage needs of nearly every transit route on a single charge. With industry-leading durability and energy efficiency based on rigorous U.S. independent testing, Proterra products are proudly designed, engineered and manufactured in America, with offices in Silicon Valley, South Carolina, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit: http://www.proterra.com and follow us on Twitter @Proterra_Inc.

SOURCE Proterra