The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) announced that the agency has been awarded a $6 million grant by the California Energy Commission to install an electric vehicle (EV) fleet charging system that will be powered by a solar and storage microgrid.

“Los Angeles is on track to achieve a zero-emission future and our investments in clean transportation systems are driving that progress,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “The more electric vehicles we put on our streets today, the more we can lower emissions to ensure a healthier, more sustainable tomorrow.”

The solar and storage microgrid paired with 104 EV chargers will support LADOT’s adoption of electric buses as the agency transitions to a fully electric fleet by 2028.

LADOT selected Proterra and Apparent to install the EV-charging microgrid at the agency’s Washington Bus Yard where it will manage EV charging and overall energy use for more than 100 electric buses.

The project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower LADOT’s electricity costs, and also provide emergency back-up power that will enable the agency to continue to operate in an outage.

"Meeting our climate and sustainability goals requires persistent investment and urgent action,” said Seleta Reynolds, LADOT GM. “This grant provides an essential support facility as we move closer to our goal of a fully electric fleet.”

LADOT will deploy 1.5 megawatts of rooftop and bus solar canopy paired with a 4.5MWh energy storage system provided by Apparent at the Washington Bus Yard to help power five Proterra 1.5-megawatt fleet chargers with 104 remote EV charging dispensers.

“Transit agencies and fleet operators need resilient, reliable charging solutions to help power the switch to electric fleets," said Gareth Joyce, president of Proterra. "This innovative project is a model for how we can power commercial electric vehicle fleets and support a sustainable, clean transportation future with renewable energy solutions. We are excited to extend the benefits of our technology to help power Los Angeles’s transition to zero-emission, electric transit buses."