North Carolina city spent millions on electric buses that don’t run

3 out of 5 electric buses that Asheville bought in 2018 are sitting idle

The city of Asheville, North Carolina, shelled out millions of dollars in 2018 to add five electric buses to its fleet. Now, three of the five sit idle, and city employees are telling the cautionary tale.

Asheville’s interim transportation director, Jessica Morriss, told local station WLOS-TV that the three out-of-commission buses are down due to a combination of software issues and mechanical problems, and one has had a broken door since July that can’t be replaced.

A Proterra Catalyst XR bus is shown at the electric bus company’s headquarters in Burlingame, California, on Sept. 22, 2016. Proterra filed for bankruptcy last year. (Michael Macor / San Francisco Chronicle / Getty Images)

“We haven’t been able to get new doors,” Morriss told the outlet. “There’s no third party that makes a door. We’d have to get custom-made doors.”

Part of the issue is that the company that made the electric buses, Proterra, filed for bankruptcy in August. According to the News & Observer, Proterra’s operations are still shut down. The company was recently purchased by Phoenix Motor, but it is unclear when parts and services for Proterra buses will be available.

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