Low or No Emission Vehicle Program

We help transit agencies develop winning proposals.

CTE has a strong track record of helping transit agencies develop winning Low-No grant applications. Our success rate is unmatched in the industry and is a direct result of our knowledge of the ZEB market, experience with ZEB deployments, and our ability to organize and manage the entire grant application process.

Agencies that have chosen to partner with CTE to prepare their Low-No grant applications have enjoyed more than double the success rate to those that have not. To date, we have helped 149 transit agencies receive over $912 million that will ultimately result in the deployment of 733 zero-emission buses nationwide.

Blue electric bus with a large illustration of a roadrunner on the side pulls up to a stop sign.

a blue and green bus with G B T on the side of it drives down a road with green trees

129

Low-No Awards

149

Transit Partnerships

733

Buses Funded

$912

Million Awarded

CTE Low-No Projects

Low-No Service Packages

CTE is available to support your agency in developing a responsive Low-No application. We will assign dedicated staff to work with you throughout the application process.

Based on our success with previous Low-No projects, CTE offers several Low-No project management and technical consulting service packages designed to fit a variety of client requirements. Each service package consists of a combination of tasks from CTE’s services listed below.

Your CTE project manager will work with you to customize a plan that best meets your needs.

Technical Services Plan

• Deployment Planning
• Bus, Route, & Fuel Modeling
• Performance Validation
• Benefits Assessment & Deployment Validation
• Project Management & Technical Advisory

Full Deployment Service Plan (with Named Vendors)

• Deployment Planning
• Bus, Route, & Fuel Modeling
• Benefits Assessment & Deployment Validation
• Project Management & Technical Advisory
• Performance Validation
AND
• Bus & Fueling Specification Advisory

Full Deployment Service Plan (with RFP Support)

Service Descriptions

Deployment Planning

CTE helps the agency develop a project management plan to guide their zero-emission bus project. CTE collaborates with the agency to define project objectives and scope, identify resources, and develop a detailed project schedule and implementation plan. The project plan is then presented at the project kickoff meeting held with key team members and stakeholders.

Bus, Route & Fuel Modeling

CTE’s modeling suite uses our proprietary engineering and analysis tools to develop an independent operational analysis that helps the agency match ZEB technologies to service requirements.

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Bus & Route Modeling – CTE gathers data on routes, technical specifications of the bus and charging or
refueling equipment, and operational assumptions. This route and bus information is used to model the
buses’ duty cycles, simulating bus performance on selected routes. The process also ensures that adequate
power and energy storage specifications are met and inform fueling and charging strategies.

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Fueling Infrastructure Modeling - For battery electric bus deployments, CTE defines charging scenarios to
model electricity consumption and assess charging equipment requirements. Modeling results for electricity
inform infrastructure procurement and operational decisions. For fuel cell electric bus deployments, CTE
will determine daily hydrogen consumption and station throughput requirements given the agency’s
refueling window. CTE will also estimate a station scale-up plan as a starting point for fueling station design
discussions.

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Fuel Cost Modeling – CTE examines electric utility rate structures to estimate the annual cost of energy to
charge battery electric buses. CTE works with the transit agency and local utility providers to determine rate
schedules that would be the most advantageous for supporting battery electric bus deployments. For fuel
cell electric bus deployments, CTE will identify likely sources of hydrogen supply, evaluate hydrogen supply
reliability, and estimate the cost of hydrogen.

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Benefits Assessment & Deployment Validation

CTE collects operational data to generate a series of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure benefits and ensure the buses perform as expected. KPIs can be used to compare ZEB performance against the agency’s current bus fleet by measuring and reporting mileage, fuel consumption and costs, maintenance costs, battery degradation, and efficiency and range under varying conditions. This information is used to assess energy savings, cost savings, and emissions reductions to measure performance against expectations and goals and to validate the operating model. Continuous KPI monitoring establishes an understanding of the technology that can be applied to future ZEB procurements, deployments, and long-range fleet management planning.

Project Management & Technical Advisory

CTE employs a project management methodology specifically designed for zero-emission bus deployments and augmented by established project management, administration, reporting, and controls processes. CTE provides technical advisory services throughout the project to ensure that agency staff understand the differences in technology and the best practices for deploying and operating ZEBs. CTE’s Smart Deployment Methodology is designed to address all aspects of a successful implementation including planning, requirements analysis, specifications, workforce development requirements, operator and maintenance training, testing and validation, and performance evaluation. In addition, CTE assists the agency with development of quarterly reports to meet FTA reporting requirements.

Performance Validation

Before the delivered buses enter revenue service, CTE runs a series of tests to validate the expected levels of bus performance. If there are any discrepancies between the modeled and the tested performance, CTE will work with the agency to analyze these discrepancies and reevaluate operational decisions before the agency places the buses into service.

Bus & Fueling Specification Advisory

Based on the modeling outputs, CTE helps the agency develop vehicle and infrastructure technical specifications to meet service requirements. The specifications can then be used as part of a competitive procurement or to develop a contract with a named vendor. CTE also provides advisory services throughout the design and build process.

Procurement Support and/or Technical Evaluation

If an agency chooses to select a bus, charging, hydrogen refueling station, or facility modification vendor through a competitive procurement, CTE supports the agency in the procurement process, including the preparation of Requests for Proposals (RFP), technical evaluation of proposals, vendor demonstrations, site visits to vendor facilities, vendor negotiations, and contracting.

Other Low-No Project Services

Workforce Development

CTE helps transit agencies understand the opportunities and challenges associated with transitioning to zero-emission buses and what is needed to prepare their workforce for this transition. CTE’s Zero-Emission Bus 101 course (ZEB 101) helps transit agencies prepare for future ZEB deployments or gain a greater understanding of the technologies and how to manage them. ZEB 101 is designed to introduce management, operations, and maintenance staff to zero-emission bus technologies and the basics of deploying battery and fuel cell electric buses. With this framework, agencies can identify key interfaces between departments to ensure the entire organization is able to work together effectively in planning for and implementing a zero-emission fleet. ZEB 101 also trains participants on the technical aspects of ZEBs to enable them to ask the right questions of bus manufacturers and infrastructure providers prior to investing in a particular technology solution.

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After the ZEB 101 course, CTE will work with the agency to evaluate the impact of transitioning to zero-emission technologies on their workforce. CTE will analyze the gap in skills between the current workforce and future needs of the workforce, and work with the agency to build a roadmap to develop the required skills across impacted departments. This roadmap will include a suggested training content and timeline for hands-on departments and skills advancement guidelines for ZEB support departments. CTE will follow FTA guidance to ensure the current workforce is not displaced by the transition to ZEBs.

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Buy America Audits

Pre-Award and Pre-Delivery Buy America audits ensure the buses meet Buy America requirements. If desired, CTE can provide qualified auditors to complete these requirements for the project.

Periodic Quality Assurance Audits & Inspections

CTE provides qualified inspectors to review the manufacturer’s production procedures, monitor the build, and periodically inspect the buses. The goal of the inspection is to ensure that the buses meet the specification requirements and that the OEM is adhering to its quality control and quality assurance standards.

Redundancy, Resilience, & Response Planning

The Redundancy, Resilience, and Emergency Response Assessment investigates the risks of deploying a full ZEB fleet, analyzes the impacts of power outages or other fuel disruptions, and develops risk mitigation alternatives. The assessment also evaluates the agency’s ability to fulfill any emergency response obligations, such as evacuation support. The assessment then produces recommendations to mitigate the identified risks specific to an agency’s risk tolerances, facility constraints, and budget.

Other ZEB Deployment Support Services

Transition Planning Support

CTE provides transit agencies with a comprehensive and robust roadmap for converting their fleets to zero-emission buses. This plan meets and exceeds FTA’s requirements for Low-No applications. CTE supports transit agencies planning for compliance with stakeholder zero-emission goals— and for California transit agencies, the California Air Resources Board’s Innovative Clean Transit Regulation. CTE’s comprehensive ZEB Transition Planning methodology includes a Feasibility Assessment, Alternatives Analysis, Alternative Selection, and ZEB Transition Plan. The resulting product is a plan for phased implementation of ZEBs and supporting infrastructure that is based on the agency’s service and operations requirements. The analysis includes assessments of the fleet vehicles, refueling requirements, facilities, maintenance needs, emissions reductions, and overall resilience. The analysis effort will also include a comparison of the total cost of ownership of various technology transition scenarios. In addition to these analyses, the plan meets FTA’s requirements by including an assessment of the agency’s workforce and the impact of transitioning to zero-emission technologies, funding availability, the impact of policies and legislation on the transition, and considers the partnerships required to support the transition to zero emission. This effort culminates in the creation of the ZEB Transition Plan, a comprehensive report guiding the agency’s implementation of a zero-emission bus fleet.

two people talk in front of a hydrogen fueling station

About CTE

Since 1993, CTE has collaborated with federal, state, and local governments; commercial, public, and private fleets; vehicle technology manufacturers and innovators; and fueling equipment suppliers to advance clean, sustainable, innovative transportation and energy technologies.

View Our Mission & Impact

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