Is there a possibility for more new diesel busses

[jtrussel]

Under our new administration the push for electric vehicles have been kicked to the curb. So with that is there a possibility thst cta can order more diesel busses or are they still all in for all electric busses by 2040

[Sam92]

55 minutes ago, jtrussel said:

Under our new administration the push for electric vehicles have been kicked to the curb. So with that is there a possibility thst cta can order more diesel busses or are they still all in for all electric busses by 2040

Hard to say really to be honest. I feel like it's rushed and there are better solutions in the meantime such as encouraging travel outside of rush hour to lower congestion (and idling vehicles). The TAs might have their own agenda and still want to push for electric conversion although now that there's apparently no mandatory dead line they'd have more space and time to perfect things (such as the issues we're having with the 600s, the associated infrastructure etc)

[Tcmetro]

For what it's worth it looks like more of the 600s are back in service. 

With the budget shortfall, the cost of an electric bus over a diesel bus, and the fact that there are buses that have been on the street for 20 years it's likely that CTA is going to need to consider another diesel order.

[Busjack]

17 hours ago, jtrussel said:

Under our new administration the push for electric vehicles have been kicked to the curb.

I don't think that has been established.  The wingman plutocrat's main business and conflict of interest is in electric vehicles, including batteries and charging systems. I haven't heard anything about SpaceX contracts being cut, either.

4 hours ago, Tcmetro said:

the cost of an electric bus over a diesel bus

I don't think that's necessarily the case any more, either. The Pace videos indicated that the price of a diesel hybrid is like $1.1 million, way above about $700 thousand a couple of years ago.

The only thing of which I am sure is that if CTA is still around, and even if it has a plan, it doesn't know what it is going to do (as exemplified by conflicting pronouncements on the 300 rail cars).

 

[Tcmetro]

CTA just got a Low-No grant of $121 million to purchase hybrid buses. It doesn't seem that any agency received a grant for electric buses.

https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/fy25-fta-bus-and-low-and-no-emission-grant-awards

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, Tcmetro said:

CTA just got a Low-No grant of $121 million to purchase hybrid buses. It doesn't seem that any agency received a grant for electric buses.

https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/fy25-fta-bus-and-low-and-no-emission-grant-awards

Didn't say 40' or 60'.Someone pointed out that NF's website didn't mention a 60' hybrid, but that probably doesn't mean they won't do it.

[Bus1883]

9 hours ago, Tcmetro said:

CTA just got a Low-No grant of $121 million to purchase hybrid buses. It doesn't seem that any agency received a grant for electric buses.

https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/fy25-fta-bus-and-low-and-no-emission-grant-awards

Hope we get more flyers

[MetroShadow]

11 hours ago, Tcmetro said:

CTA just got a Low-No grant of $121 million to purchase hybrid buses. It doesn't seem that any agency received a grant for electric buses.

https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/fy25-fta-bus-and-low-and-no-emission-grant-awards

The direction, at least with this administration,  is either Hybrid, Clean Diesel, CNG, or (rarely) hydrogen. Unless the State wants to take that route to an Electric Battery ZEB, it's very unlikely they'll meet those targets.

It also doesn't help that the US Market is reduced to Gillig and NF, and maybe ENC, so we'll see what happens.

8 hours ago, Busjack said:

Didn't say 40' or 60'.Someone pointed out that NF's website didn't mention a 60' hybrid, but that probably doesn't mean they won't do it.

I'd be surprised if they won't entertain an ask from CTA to make them. Little to no market for hybrid 60' buses as it is. 

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

This story says it’s 150 40’ buses 

 

[Busjack]

4 hours ago, MetroShadow said:

The direction, at least with this administration,  is either Hybrid, Clean Diesel, CNG, or (rarely) hydrogen. Unless the State wants to take that route to an Electric Battery ZEB, it's very unlikely they'll meet those targets.

It also doesn't help that the US Market is reduced to Gillig and NF, and maybe ENC, so we'll see what happens.

I'd be surprised if they won't entertain an ask from CTA to make them. Little to no market for hybrid 60' buses as it is. 

I don't know about administration policy (maybe Sean Duffy said we won't accept applications for BEBs), but you're clearly correct. Avsearch for "electric" only comes upwith hybrid, including several California grants, even though I thought that state had strict electric bus policies.

New Flyer used to say that it could build any powerrtrain on the Xcelsior platform, but see below.

7 minutes ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

This story says it’s 150 40’ buses 

 

I don't see 40' in the tweet, nor in the Google summary of the source Sun-Times article (S-T apparently shut its paywall, so my former hack doesn't work). However  $807K would require probably $250K in matching funds to pay the about $1.1 million for a 40' hybrid bus Pace just authorized. I guess the grant would pay 50% of the cost of a hybrid artic.

Since Pace is also getting a grant, for $39,780,000, maybe for 50 buses, maybe the two agencies will go ahead with the joint procurement.