The Broome County Department of Public Transportation will introduce electric buses to its local transit system this summer.

The department has been awarded nearly $11 million in federal grants that will be used to purchase and add 13 full-battery electric buses to its fleet. The new solar battery-powered buses will replace older models in use. Despite costing more than traditional, diesel-fueled buses, these new electric buses will be entirely federally funded and will not cost local taxpayers additional funds.

“I’m really glad that the Broome County Department of Public Transportation is introducing electric buses to the community,” wrote Roshan Patel, a senior majoring in psychology at Binghamton University. “With the growing climate crisis, it’s important to look for better and more efficient alternatives to fossil fuel sources, and these buses would do exactly that. The federal grants assistance in helping offset the cost to the county I believe would undoubtedly prove beneficial in the long run.”

Greg Kilmer, the commissioner of the Broome County Department of Public Transportation and an executive board member of the New York Public Transit Association, shared in an interview with Pipe Dream that local public transportation provides more than two million rides annually, running up to 18 hours each day. These services benefit longtime community members and University students, faculty and staff, for whom Broome County Transit buses are free if they scan an active University-issued ID card.

Kilmer worked at Cornell University for 15 years, where he applied research to alternative fuel programs. He advises New York state and other NYPTA members on adopting alternative fuel options.

“We applied for a couple of federal ‘Low No’ grants — Low- or No-Emission vehicle grants — that were competitive, and we were able to win an award that allowed us to get started in the electrification,” Kilmer said. “With that first grant award, we were awarded six full-battery electric buses and charging infrastructure, as well as consulting services [and] engineering services to help us plan a strategic adoption of electric vehicles. We’ve applied several times, and a couple years later, we got an even larger grant award. The second grant award is going to afford us seven additional full-battery electric buses for a total of 13.”

According to the Federal Transit Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Low- or No-Emission Grant Program provides funding to purchase or lease zero-emission and low-emission transit buses. Grantees can also use the funds to acquire, construct and lease support facilities for recharging, refueling and related maintenance.

A collection of solar panels will be added to the existing transit center on Old Mill Road in Vestal, which will generate electricity to run the chargers and capture energy in a battery storage system. These plans will “add resiliency to the grid” and the department’s ability to operate during power outages. The hope, Kilmer said, is to have the charging infrastructure in place by 2027.

Despite initial supply chain delays, the county now has production dates and a plan for how the buses will arrive. They will be made in California this July and driven across the country, following a route with charging infrastructure in place. Thousands of electric vehicle charging stations are available throughout the United States, according to the Department of Energy, and additional federal grant funding will expand the country’s electric vehicle charging network.

Nearby cities like Albany, Rochester and Buffalo have successfully implemented electric battery programs. Given this progress, Kilmer remained optimistic that the county will be able to integrate electric buses into its fleet.

“We’ve been operating hybrid electric buses for several years, including on BU’s campus,” Kilmer said. “So when we drive our buses — our hybrid buses on BU’s campus — we use geofencing, which shuts the buses off automatically and they go in full electric mode, and that makes them quieter and reduces the emission output, particularly on campus. So we’re experienced with running buses that are at least electric in part, and we think that these are going to be quite successful for us.”

An average transit bus can hold around 40 riders, leading to fewer miles driven in personal vehicles and carbon emissions per passenger annually. As a result, communities that value their public transit systems can lower their carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future.

“I think you’re going to find that people like transit and other delivery-type of industries — even private commuters that are adopting electric vehicles — this is going to give the industry the momentum it needs, and ultimately, I think you’re going to see a lot of spillover effect from the technology and what we’ve learned in doing this,” Kilmer said.