The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) selected CTE as one of two national nonprofits to manage its Transit Vehicle Innovation Deployment Centers (TVIDC) program. FTA created the program to support multiple transit bus research and innovation objectives, including assessing industry research, testing, and data collection needs to accelerate zero-emission bus (ZEB) adoption. The program scope also includes multiple engineering research objectives and industry outreach on behalf of FTA to support ZEB education and adoption.
In its primary task, CTE convened and steered an industry panel of 14 transit agency C-level executives, every major US transit bus manufacturer, all three federal bus testing centers, and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) to identify the industry’s greatest challenges and develop solutions for addressing them. CTE organized two in-person panel meetings and five virtual working group meetings over the course of eight months to develop recommendations for FTA in five focus areas: zero-emission bus research priorities, transit automation, zero-emission transit workforce development, collaboration with electrical utilities, and how to best leverage the federal bus testing programs at Altoona, the Ohio State University, and Auburn University.
CTE extensively researched the state of the industry and challenges in each focus area and produced a draft report for panel review. The working groups for each focus area refined recommendations for the final report, which CTE delivered on schedule in June 2020. FTA published the report in January 2021, at the direction of the US Congress. The FY2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act appropriated $10 million for FTA Research to pursue zero-emission bus research objectives, directing FTA to align with the TVIDC panel report findings. CTE organized a third panel meeting covering ZEB workforce development in Atlanta, GA in April 2022, with an ensuing report delivered to FTA in June 2022.
The TVIDC program also assessed data collection and reporting tools available to transit bus operators, and established new mechanisms for data mining using those tools. CTE and transit agency partners worked to develop a methodology for collecting, processing, and providing on-route data information from existing electric bus deployments that characterize component and bus behavior across a wide range of conditions. The methodology focused on providing useful outputs to inform and support agency deployment, charging, and maintenance decisions. CTE developed and submitted to FTA reports on its process and findings, as well as one covering data standards.
FTA awarded CTE a $6.2 million extension of TVIDC in September 2022. This added scope will proceed in two phases, the first of which is to assess ZEB industry needs, resource gaps, and barriers to adoption. CTE presented its findings under this first phase to the FTA in September 2023 with a final list of 15 research projects, demonstrations, and industry engagement activities, and FTA will select which to fund under the program’s second phase.
