The Electric Bus Is ‘Close to Inevitable’: Q&A With Proterra’s CEO

There are a few hundred electric buses in the U.S.—and thousands still running on diesel. That gap doesn’t deter Ryan Popple, chief executive officer of Burlingame, California-based electric bus manufacturer Proterra Inc., from proclaiming a zero-emission future for American buses to be a sure bet. A big part of his pitch rests on simple economics.

The energy cost of operating an electric bus is about 20 cents a mile over its lifetime, Popple says, while the cost of running on diesel today is about 75 cents a mile. Many transit agencies continue ordering diesel buses because the upfront cost is lower. To address this, Proterra recently rolled out a battery-leasing model akin to the programs that ignited the rooftop-solar boom in the U.S. There might also be help from Democrats in the U.S. Senate, who are pushing legislation to support e-bus adoption and encourage use in the nation’s school fleet.