The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) has been awarded a $6 million grant to build one of the largest electric vehicle fleet charging systems in the United States. The system will be fully powered by a solar and storage microgrid.
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The grant, provided by the California Energy Commission, intends to help the state transition into clean energy transport and move closer to its net-zero targets. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said that the project aims to put more electric vehicles on the road to lower emissions.
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“Los Angeles is on track to achieve a zero-emission future and our investments in clean transportation systems are driving that progress,” said Garcetti. “The more electric vehicles we put on our streets today, the more we can lower emissions to ensure a healthier, more sustainable tomorrow.”
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LADOT has a plan that will see it transition to a fully electric fleet by 2028. Solar power will help the agency adopt more electric buses to help with the smooth transition into the electric vehicle phase. The system’s microgrid will come fully paired with 104 EV chargers. The agency has settled on Proterra and Apparent to install the EV charging microgrid at the Washington Bus Yard, which will handle EV charging for over 100 buses.
“Meeting our climate and sustainability goals requires persistent investment and urgent action,” said Seleta Reynolds, LADOT General Manager. “This grant provides an essential support facility as we move closer to our goal of a fully electric fleet.”
To achieve its targets, LADOT will deploy 1.5 megawatts of rooftop and bus canopy. The solar will be supported by 4.5MWh worth of energy storage at the Washington Bus Yard provided by Apparent. The power will be deployed cumulatively to recharge buses at the station, thanks to Proterra’s 1.5-megawatt fleet chargers. With 104 remote EV dispensers, the yard will provide one of the largest electric car charging points in the country.
“Transit agencies and fleet operators need resilient, reliable charging solutions to help power the switch to electric fleets. 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,” said Gareth Joyce, President of Proterra. “We are excited to extend the benefits of our technology to help power Los Angeles’s transition to zero-emission, electric transit buses.”