AUSTIN (KXAN) — CapMetro is putting a temporary pause on purchases of new electric vehicles for its fleet amid battery technology hiccups at the industry level.
The CapMetro Board of Directors discussed the pause during a sustainability update at a June 24 board meeting. The transit authority confirmed it won't be making any new purchases of EV buses while CapMetro continues to build out its own infrastructure to support electric buses and as battery technology matures within the industry.
Right now, officials said battery-powered EV buses only run between eight and 10 hours before a recharge is required, which poses issues when scheduling bus routes.
John Overman with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) said June 24 weather, topography, the size of a service area and the distance of routes all impact battery operations with EV buses. In an analysis conducted by TTI, it found battery-powered electric buses as is could only cover roughly 36% of CapMetro's current bus schedules, based on existing battery constraints.
Currently, CapMetro operates a 402-vehicle fleet, with 379 diesel buses and 23 electric buses, a spokesperson confirmed to KXAN Friday. The transit authority is awaiting 87 additional electric buses, which are expected to be delivered before the end of 2024.
"The new electric buses are a combination of normal fleet replacement and expansion to accommodate the additional bus count needed for the upcoming rapid lines," CapMetro's spokesperson added in an email.
Those two MetroRapid lines are part of the City of Austin's Project Connect mass transit program in development. Ultimately, the spokesperson said those two lines will be all-electric.
That next procurement of buses is poised to happen in late 2024, for a late 2026 delivery of the new buses, CapMetro's President and CEO Dottie Watkins said June 24. Looking ahead toward those future purchases, staff will consider a combination of different options — including hybrid electric buses and hydrogen fuel cell buses.
Watkins added that while the transit authority is temporarily pausing near-future purchases of more EV buses, CapMetro is still pursuing its goal of being net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
