One of Albuquerque’s new electric buses is being used to transport passengers on Route No. 31 along Wyoming Boulevard. Route No. 31 runs between Alameda and Kirtland Air Force Base and can be used by personnel with appropriate military clearance to get to work on base.
On June 16, ABQ Ride announced the unveiling of five new electric buses being added to the city’s fleet. The first 40-foot Proterra Catalyst E2 electric bus was announced in late January 2021. A previous contract to purchase electric buses manufactured by Chinese company BYD was terminated under Mayor Richard Berry’s administration due to several problems with the buses, including faulty wiring and overheating batteries.
In 2021, when the city debuted its first Proterra bus, Mayor Tim Keller said, “Albuquerque is on the route to 100% renewable energy by 2030 – and we’re rolling out another big step toward that goal with near-zero emission electric buses. When we lower the carbon emissions coming from our roads, we lower our carbon footprint, and we uphold our commitment to a cleaner healthier Albuquerque.”
The Proterra Catalyst ET can seat 37 passengers and has an expected range of 150-175 miles on one battery charge. Each bus costs $925,000 with much of it being paid for by a Federal Transit Administration low-or no-emission grant. The first electric bus made its trial run along Route No. 66 along Central Avenue. Other electric bus routes have not been publicly announced, and a request for more information from the Transit Department and ABQ Ride was not returned at the time of this writing.
