Featured News

Broome County Transit (BC Transit) celebrated the arrival of its first six battery electric buses (BEBs) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 14. Manufactured by GILLIG, the zero-emission buses will begin carrying riders this month, marking the start of a cleaner, quieter era of public transit in Broome County. Supported by nearly $11 million in competitive federal grant funding and state-level investment, the new buses are part of a larger effort to bring 13 full battery-electric buses to the BC Transit fleet by 2027. These vehicles will replace older diesel models, improving air quality, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and lowering operating noise across the community.

Augusta residents joined city leaders, community partners, and transit riders today to celebrate the launch of Augusta Transit’s first five battery-electric buses—the first of their kind in the Central Savannah River Area. The ribbon cutting ceremony, held October 13 at Augusta Transit’s maintenance facility, marked a major milestone in the city’s efforts to modernize its transit system and improve air quality.

On September 29–30, transit agencies from across the U.S. and Canada traveled to the Puget Sound region and the picturesque city of Everett, WA, for the ZEBRA Fall Roundtable. Co-hosted by member agencies, Community Transit and King County Metro and organized by the Zero Emission Bus Resource Alliance (ZEBRA), this gathering marked the largest ZEBRA roundtable to date—bringing together representatives from 22 agencies to exchange insights and explore the latest in zero-emission transit technologies.

The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) today announced the successful completion of a Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Transition Plan for Recology, a resource recovery company that provides collection and disposal services to more than 2.5 million individuals and 100,000 businesses across California, Oregon, and Washington.

The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) is excited to bring the ZEB Con Roadshow to the New York Public Transit Association (NYPTA) 2025 Annual Conference in Saratoga Springs, NY! This special track of zero-emission bus sessions will provide transit agencies and industry partners with actionable insights, real-world lessons, and strategies for accelerating the transition to zero-emission fleets.

National Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Day, recognized on October 8th (for hydrogen's atomic weight of 1.008), highlights the growing role of hydrogen technology in transportation. At the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), we are focused on demonstrating and deploying fuel cell vehicles in medium-and heavy-duty applications across the US and Canada, proving that hydrogen as a transportation fuel is not just a concept for the future- but is economically and operationally viable today.

Georgia State University (GSU), the largest in-person university in Georgia and one of the ten largest in the nation, is taking a bold step toward sustainability with the transition to a fully battery-electric bus fleet.Supported by a $22 million award through the Federal Transit Administration’s 2023 Low or No Emission Vehicle Program (Low-No), GSU will deploy 18 electric buses, a new transit depot, and charging infrastructure to serve its downtown Atlanta campus.

Local government fleets operate a variety of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles that range from lawnmowers and construction equipment to passenger vehicles and heavy-duty refuse trucks. These complex fleets typically offer easy opportunities for electrification wins that can produce substantial operational savings. However, the state of the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) market readiness varies across vehicle and equipment sectors. As a result, ZEV transition planning based on EV availability, feasibility, and suitability is a critical success factor in municipal fleet electrification.

TCRP Research Report 256: Resilient Zero-Emission Transit Bus Fleets: A Guide provides a step-by-step approach to adapt existing resilience plans, originally designed for internal combustion engine fleets, to the distinct requirements of ZEBs. This comprehensive framework guides agencies through assessing potential threats, evaluating risks, and implementing cost-effective resilience strategies.

As the US policy environment evolves, it is more critical than ever to demonstrate the positive economic impacts of the transition to alternative fueled vehicles. Lawmakers are focused on the economic and workforce benefits these vehicles may provide to their constituents, shifting focus from climate and health benefits highlighted in the previous administration.