The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the largest transportation network in North America, serves 15.3 million people across an area of 5,000 square miles surrounding New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut.
Since this network includes the largest bus fleet in the country, the MTA aims to make all of its buses zero-emission by 2040.
“MTA New York is electrifying both its revenue fleets – buses – and non-revenue fleets – maintenance vehicles and those transporting workers,” explains Projjal Dutta, Director of Sustainability Initiatives at the MTA, in an interview with Mobility Portal Europe during the Smart City Expo LATAM Congress in Mexico.
He continues: “We have around 6,000 buses, and the goal is to electrify all of them through the Zero Emission Fleet Transformation (ZEFT) plan. It’s ambitious, but we are on track.”
The project is being carried out in four phases.
The first phase (2015-19 and 2020-24) aims to add 560 battery-electric buses to test infrastructure and operational feasibility, as well as to train staff.
The second phase (2025-29) aims to deploy over 1,000 zero-emission units across various depots, and by 2029, all new bus orders must meet these criteria.
The third phase (2030-34) will focus on converting approximately 60% of the fleet to electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses.
Finally, in the fourth phase (2035-39), all remaining non-compliant units will be retired and replaced with zero-emission buses.
It’s worth noting that the MTA’s approach includes careful consideration of charging infrastructure, energy supply requirements, and depot modifications.
“You can’t just electrify the vehicles without doing the same for the depots, which in turn depend on the local grid situation,” says Dutta.
Therefore, they are focusing on depot charging with high-capacity devices, and since a new generation of electricity is required, the MTA is working with Edison.
They are also exploring other options, such as on-site battery storage and solar energy generation.
When asked how they manage the charging infrastructure given the large number of eBuses they will have, the Director states, “This is a challenge for all electric vehicles.”
“Storing energy in your vehicle was much easier in the hydrocarbon model than in the electric model,” he adds.
However, he acknowledges that buses have an advantage in this respect as they can be charged overnight.
Additionally, car manufacturers are currently replacing entire batteries automatically to speed up the charging process.
“These are issues that will evolve,” says Dutta.
What kind of support does the MTA receive to promote bus electrification?
The MTA in New York currently receives financial assistance from all three levels of government: the city government, the state of New York, and also from the federal government through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
“Typically, the government supports the purchase of new buses of any kind. Now, it is providing additional support because the new units come with an incremental cost, a premium,” explains Dutta.
He adds: “For at least one cycle, that is, for these five-year plans, this will be the case. But beyond the first two or three plans, the premium will decrease or disappear completely.”
It’s no secret that electric buses have a “cost difference” compared to internal combustion ones, whether gas, diesel, or CNG.
“However, studies show that this difference will decrease as eBuses become the standard,” argues the director.
“It has already happened with cars, and the same will occur with buses,” he adds.
About Projjal Dutta
He is the first Director of Sustainability at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
He has two main responsibilities: on one hand, reducing the MTA’s environmental footprint, and on the other, verifiably measuring the carbon benefits that the region gains from the MTA.
He is also a member of the ioby Board, a crowdsourcing platform for community improvement.
Additionally, he has given numerous lectures and written about “carbon avoidance,” for example at Harvard, Yale, and Columbia universities.
He is an author and regular contributor to both print and digital publications focused on environmental issues.
