American bus manufacturer Proterra claims to have broken the world record for distrance travelled by an electric vehicle on a single charge.
Proterra said it achieved the feat at the Navistar Proving Grounds in New Carlisle, Indiana. Its 12.2m Catalyst E2 Max bus travelled 1,101.2 miles this month, utilising 660kWh of energy storage capacity.
Last September, Proterra drove 603 miles with 440kWh of energy storage, and in 2015, Proterra drove 258 miles with 257kWh of energy storage on a single charge.
Matt Horton, Proterra’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “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.
“This record achievement is a testament to Proterra’s purpose-built electric bus design, energy-dense batteries and efficient drivetrain.”
Ryan Popple, Proterra CEO, added: “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.
“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.”
