North Carolina's CATS Celebrates $30M BEB Grant

North Carolina's CATS Celebrates $30M BEB Grant

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On August 2, U.S. Congresswoman Alma Adams was joined by Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Region 4 Regional Administrator Dr. Yvette G. Taylor and other dignitaries to officially present the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) with a $30 million grant to help advance its fleet electrification and workforce development programs. To date, this is one of the largest grants CATS has received from the FTA.

The grant funds are provided through the FTA’s competitive 2023 Low or No Emission and Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program, which is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). These federal resources are available to states and FTA direct recipient grantees to replace, rehabilitate and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities, including technological changes or innovations to modify low or no emission vehicles or facilities.

CATS has worked to prioritize climate action since the late 2018 adoption of the City of Charlotte’s Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP). Several of its investments have included hiring a Sustainability and Resiliency Officer, partnering with eTransEnergy, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, for its initial BEB program which also received funding from the FTA in 2020 through this same competitive grant program, beginning its zero-emission fleet on corridors with lower air quality and integrating sustainable development into its design practices through its continued pursuit of LEED and other comparable certifications. 

CATS is also in the process of developing its first comprehensive Zero Emission Transition Plan which should be finalized later this year.

The funding for this grant will specifically support the following activities:

• 15 battery electric buses (BEB) and 16 hybrid electric-diesel buses.
• 15 battery electric bus charging stations.
• Natural gas generator, replacing an existing diesel generator to ensure continuity of operations.
• Advancement of CATS workforce development and training program, eSERVE Academy.
• Software upgrades to current yard management systems and tooling for electric vehicle repair and maintenance.