The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) and Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) have agreed to purchase electric buses and chargers from Proterra, becoming the 100th customer for the company. DTE Energy will work with DDOT, SMART and Proterra on the charging infrastructure.

DDOT will receive two 40-foot Proterra Catalyst E2 Max buses, two Proterra 125 kW plug-in chargers and one 500 kW overhead fast-charge system. SMART will receive four 40-foot Proterra Catalyst E2 buses with DuoPower drivetrain technology, four Proterra 125 kW plug-in chargers and one 500 kW overhead fast-charge system.

DDOT and SMART provide public transit to the southeast Michigan region. DDOT is the largest public transit agency in Michigan providing service to the city of Detroit and neighboring cities and SMART operates primarily in suburban areas. SMART and DDOT were awarded $2.6 million through the Low- or No-Emission Vehicle (Low-No) Program from the FTA for the electric buses and charging systems. The Proterra electric buses are the first electric buses for both organizations and the vehicles will replace aging diesel buses.

DTE Energy will work with SMART, DDOT and Proterra to provide the utility infrastructure necessary for charging the buses while on-route and at the respective terminals. Proterra and DTE Energy also recently announced a project to provide battery-electric school buses to Michigan schools for pupil transportation and to conduct a vehicle-to-grid pilot program.

In addition to battery-electric buses, Proterra provides purpose-built high-power charging systems for heavy duty EV fleets. All charging systems utilize standardized technology so customers could charge a range of electric vehicles on the same Proterra charger. In addition to the charging hardware, Proterra offers a full suite of options to enable turn-key delivery of a complete energy ecosystem for heavy-duty electric fleets including design, build, financing, operations, maintenance and energy optimization with Proterra Energy fleet solutions.