CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Area Transit Service (CATS) announced Monday that it was awarded $30 million from the federal government to expand its electric bus fleet.
CATS said the $30 million grant will help fund the purchase of 15 battery electric buses and 16 hybrid electric-diesel buses to replace 31 diesel buses. These new buses are designed to be low or zero-emission vehicles. The money will also go toward purchasing charging stations and a natural gas generator to replace an existing diesel generator.
The total investment from the Federal Transit Administration totals roughly $57 million.
“CATS is working diligently on replacing its old diesel buses. We are grateful to FTA for this award which will support our efforts to create a more sustainable, equitable, and efficient system for our community," interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle said. "These efforts work to reinforce our mission to deliver high quality, affordable transit services that connect people, jobs and communities in the growing Charlotte region."
The funding will also go toward training the CATS workforce through the eSERVE Academy, which stands for Electric Sustainable Environmentally Reliable Vehicle Education with the primary objectives being to produce industry-valued and electric vehicle certified technicians.
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