an innovator in heavy-duty electric transportation announces it has set a world record for driving the longest distance ever traveled by an electric vehicle on a single charge at the navistar proving grounds in new carlisle, indiana. proterra’s 40-foot ‘catalyst E2 max’ electric bus traveled 1,101.2 miles (1,772.2 km) this month with just 660 kWh of energy storage capacity.

all images © proterra

for the last three consecutive years, proterra has demonstrated improved range and battery performance. during september 2017, the american-manufacturer drove 603 miles (970 km) with 440 kWh of energy storage, and in 2015, it drove 258 miles (415 km) with 257kWh of energy storage on a single charge. this year’s world record range marks exceptional performance improvements over previous years, and underscores the zero-emission bus company’s commitment to innovation and accelerating the mass adoption of heavy-duty electric vehicles.

‘for our heavy-duty electric bus to break the previous world record of 1,013.76 miles — which was set by a light-duty passenger ev 46 times lighter than the catalyst E2 max — is a major feat,’ comments matt horton, proterra’s chief commercial officer. ‘this record achievement is a testament to proterra’s purpose-built electric bus design, energy-dense batteries and efficient drivetrain.’

beyond meeting transit agencies’ range requirements, the ‘catalyst E2 max’ is poised to make a significant impact on the transit market because of its low operational cost per mile compared to conventional fossil fuel powered buses. according to bloomberg new energy finance, lithium-ion battery prices have dropped by roughly 72 percent since 2010, and the economics for batteries continue to improve. between li-ion battery cost savings and improving vehicle efficiency, electric vehicles represent the most disruptive mode of transport today.

‘driven by the best cost savings-per-mile, we believe the business case for heavy-duty electric buses is superior to all other applications, and that the transit market will be the first to transition completely to battery-electric powered vehicles,’ says ryan popple, proterra’s CEO. ‘early electric bus adopters like our first customer, foothill transit, have paved the way for future heavy-duty applications, like motor coaches and commercial trucks. as we see incumbents and more companies enter the heavy-duty ev market, it has become very apparent that the future is all-electric, and the sun is setting on combustion engine technology.’