EV America Finds Eager Market for Electric and Hybrid Buses
Published Feb 28, 2008
EV America produces environmentally friendly buses.
For EV America, providing a solution for soaring fuel prices, dependence on foreign oil and carbon emissions that contribute to global warming is good business.
Business is so good, in fact, that the Chattanooga-based maker of electric and hybrid-electric medium- to heavy-duty vehicles recently purchased two buildings in nearby Ringgold, Ga., that give the company more than 28,400 square feet of manufacturing space.
The company has several contracts, including an order from Traverse City, Mich., for six 30-foot hybrid-electric buses, with an option for 10 more.
“Using our technology, a tank of diesel fuel will go more than 70 percent further than it would otherwise,” says Albert Curtis III, chairman, president and chief executive officer. “The savings are significant.”
John Powell Jr., vice president of operations, says the time is right for EV America’s technology. The company’s buses use a battery to power the vehicle as it proceeds along its route picking up passengers. A small internal combustion engine recharges the battery as the bus is driven.
“Our vehicles run 25 percent of the time in zero emissions. It gets very good fuel efficiency, so that we are able to dramatically decrease our carbon footprint,” Powell says. “In some respects, we’re ahead of the curve. We are confident we are in a great position.”
Story by Bill Lewis
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