MISSOULA — You may have noticed some slick new electric buses moving around Missoula recently. That's because Mountain Line is slowly replacing all of its old diesel buses with all-electric ones.
"Some of the most powerful things and the most valuable things about switching to an electric fleet are really the intangibles. I mean, people in Missoula care very deeply about sustainability” said Mountain Line communications specialist Olga Kreimer.
But how "green" are these new buses?"
The question that comes up with electrification is where the electric energy comes from. If the electricity is coming from fossil fuel sources, does the electric vehicle really reduce carbon emissions?
"It's a really great question about whether running an electric bus is actually kind of greener than a non-electric bus or than a diesel bus specifically. And we did the math and with the way that energy is sourced in Montana currently, I think more than 50% of energy is coming from renewable sources. So from wind and hydro and a little bit of solar in there too” Kreimer explained to MTN.
The makeup of the Montana electrical grid is 23% coal, 19% natural gas, 24% wind, 33% hydro and 1% solar.
“So while there is obviously a carbon impact from coal energy, we still see a really significant net impact from the reduction in carbon emissions from switching to electrics” Kreimer added.
So in Missoula, the buses do help reduce carbon emissions. And certain buses that Mountain Line has in their fleet reduce emissions by different amounts based on their efficiency.
There are three different kinds of electric buses fielded in Mountain Line’s fleet — Gilligs, New Flyers and Proterras. The Proterras historically have been the most efficient but the new buses from Gillig should be even more efficient than the old Proterras.
But, how efficient are these buses? Especially in the cold? After all, the more they need to charge, the more carbon emissions there are.
"Even at the worst kind of coldest temperature days when electric buses don't last quite as long, right? Electricity is not at its most efficient when it's minus 10 outside. That mileage per gallon is still an equivalent of about 15 MPG versus a diesel bus, which is around four” Kreimer explained.
The purchase of the buses was largely in part due to federal grants that Mountain Line has received. The first one was in 2018 at a total of $3.2 million, then a second one in 2022 at $10 million from the Federal Transit Administration and a third one — also from the Federal Transit Administration — in 2023 for $39.1 million.
The third grant was not only for buses but also for the construction of a new electric facility.
Thanks to the grants, people can expect to see more electric buses on Missoula's streets over the coming years, slowly but surely replacing the diesel fleet.
So, the next time you hop on a Mountain Line electric bus, you can feel good knowing that you're reducing your carbon footprint.
