In a report released Wednesday, the Center for Transportation and the Environment has found that replacing the entire U.S. transit fleet with zero emission vehicles (ZEV) by 2035 would cost between $56 and $89 billion.
The report, requested by U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), formulates a roadmap and cost assessment for transitioning to ZEV. It also notes that such a transition would require technology development programs, testing facilities, and workforce development to train transit operators, technicians, engineers, and planners to understand the unique components of ZEV and its supporting infrastructure.
The report comes a day after Schumer and Brown introduced the “Clean Transit for America Plan,” which would accelerate the nationwide adoption of clean transportation.
“To reduce the carbon in our atmosphere and address the climate crisis, we must transform our transit system,” Schumer said in a press release. “The Clean Transit for America proposal will replace dirty, diesel-spewing buses, create new American jobs, help save the planet and protect public health, particularly in our country’s most vulnerable communities.”
CTE, a non-profit agency that works with federal, state, and local governments, fleets, and vehicle technology manufacturers on developing and commercializing clean, efficient, and sustainable technologies, said the price estimate covered vehicles, infrastructure, technical assistance, and federal research and development support. The report, CTE said, assumed the national fleet would use a mix of battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles.
“Rapidly electrifying the U.S. transit system has to be done the right way,” said Dan Raudebaugh, executive director of CTE. “Transit agencies need more than vehicles to successfully make this transition, and the federal government is well-positioned to provide that.