Tucson’s First Electric Bus Unveiled At Wednesday Demonstration

TUCSON, AZ – The first electric public transit bus has arrived in Tucson and will be demonstrated to the public at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18 in downtown Tucson. The zero-emissions electric bus, part of a $2.6 million City of Tucson Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant announced in July, is the first step in the city’s one-year electric bus pilot program.

The 40-foot electric bus is manufactured by Gillig and is powered by an environmentally friendly battery offering a 444 kWh capacity. The electric bus, which will be demonstrated on 12th Street between S. 6th and S. Scott avenues behind TEP’s downtown headquarters, was manufactured after four development years and is presently leased by Sun Tran. “Sun Tran is invested in creating an innovative and smart transportation system,” said Sun Tran General Manager Steve Spade in a media statement.

Sun Tran partnered with TEP for more than a year to bring the bus pilot program to Tucson. TEP is in charge of planning and technical support and will provide bus charging station funding and infrastructure support. “We hope this project promotes awareness of the powerful benefits that electric vehicles can generate for our community and the environment,” added TEP President and CEO David Hutchens.

The City of Tucson expects that the grant will cover three or more of the electric buses, based on the expectation that electric vehicles will replace the Sun Tran fleet’s biodiesel buses. Any additional electric buses ordered are slated for delivery to Tucson inside 12 months after order date.

Speakers at Wednesday’s demonstration will include Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, councilmembers Regina Romero and Paul Durham, Hutchens, Spade and Gillig’s Director of National Sales Bill Fay.