Community Transit leaders, from left, Chief Communications Officer Jeff Patrick, Zero Emissions Program Director Jay Heim, PIO Monica Spain, Director of Maintenance Mike Suihla and CEO Rick Elgenfritz stand in front of a hydrogen-powered Community Transit bus on Monday, May 13, 2024, in Community Transportation Operations Base in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Perry/Herald)
New electric and hydrogen buses are being piloted in Snohomish County
EVERETT — The future of public transportation in Snohomish County doesn’t smell like diesel.
It doesn’t smell like anything, really, unless you count the fresh air. Starting this summer, Community Transit will test two zero-emission bus options. The transit agency recently purchased two 40-foot buses, each sporting dazzling new colors: an electric one for $1.1 million, and a hydrogen-powered one for $1.3 million.
The hydrogen-powered bus is the first in the Puget Sound region. Both buses are part of the agency’s new zero-emission fleet transition project.
The community transportation budget includes $65.6 million for 19 hydrogen buses and 40 electric buses by 2027. The projected cost of buses and infrastructure is $158 million by 2029, with a full transition to zero-emission vehicles estimated at $1.4 billion by 2050.
“We’re ahead of the curve, and we’re proud of it,” Community Transit CEO Rick Ilgenfritz said as he sat aboard the new hydrogen bus this week. “And we believe we have an opportunity to show the way.”
Community Transit CEO Ric Ilgenfritz, right, speaks with other Community Transit leaders during an interview with The Herald on a new electric bus on Monday, May 13, 2024, at Community Transit’s base of operations in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Perry/Herald)
Community Transit gave the Daily Herald an early look at the two new buses. Customers are likely to see the electric bus on the roads starting in July and the hydrogen bus in October. Other transit agencies in the area, including Community Transit, currently use hybrid electric buses.
Right now, they have a certain smell of a new bus, except for the diesel.
The ride is quiet with no hard gear shifts. Physiological benefits include “less headaches and less fatigue on the ears,” said Jay Heim, program manager for Community Transit’s Zero Emissions Project.
The electric buses are also equipped with proximity chargers, similar to the wireless charging technology available for many new cell phones.
Community Transit will collect data about performance in different conditions and on different routes.
“The assumption for hydrogen here is that it will be a little bit better for longer routes, some of what we consider to be the hard-to-decarbonize blocks that we have, whereas a battery bus would be great for kind of local transportation,” Heim said. Bus service, with shorter round trips.
The hydrogen-powered guts of a new zero-emission Community Transit bus are seen under an open hood on Monday, May 13, 2024, at the Community Transit Operations Base in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Perry/Herald)
Phasing out diesel
Like other public transit agencies across the country, Community Transit is looking to transition away from fossil fuels.
Nearly 75% of Snohomish County’s energy comes from hydroelectric power, with wind, solar and nuclear power making up another 20%. In total, about 97% of Snohomish County’s electric power is carbon-neutral.
Since most local energy comes from renewable or clean sources, electric buses can have close to zero emissions from start to finish.
If the pilot program is successful this year, Community Transit will begin phasing out diesel buses when they reach the end of their lifespan. The ratio of electric buses versus hydrogen buses will depend on how the program goes.
Zero-emission buses are expected to make up about 30% of Community Transit’s fleet by 2030. At that point, the agency’s board will have to decide whether to “commit the rest of the way,” Ilgenfritz said.
“We are not going to accelerate this procurement process and put ourselves in a position where we can increase vehicles that still have a lot of life left in them,” he added.
Electric buses generally have shorter ranges and charging them on a large scale would require coordination with multiple agencies. The Snohomish County PUD has been a major player in the project, working closely over the past two years with Community Transit, PUD spokesman Aaron Swaney wrote in an email.
“Large grid expansion projects can take years to complete, so it is essential that we work closely with customers who are expanding electric operations,” Swaney wrote.
Community Transit also conducted its own study on the impact of electrification on the PUD. By 2034, the utility estimates it will add an average of 100 megawatts to its current load due to electric transmission. Its current production is 800 megawatts.
Essentially, the PUD will be required to provide more energy.
“It is worth noting that meeting future demand is not just about new energy sources,” Swaney wrote. “For PUD, it is also about using existing energy sources more efficiently.”
A new hydrogen-powered Community Transit bus is parked alongside other older diesel buses on Monday, May 13, 2024, at the Community Transit Operations Base in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Perry/Herald)
“We need high reliability”
Basic electric charging systems are common and well-established pieces of technology.
Meanwhile, hydrogen buses have a longer range, but obtaining fuel is an issue. Gillig’s all-electric buses have a range of 150 to 250 miles. New Flyer, the company that built the hydrogen-powered bus, says it can travel about 400 miles between refueling. The agency would have to transport hydrogen from out of state until a local source is available.
Hydrogen fuel cells are very similar to a battery, but they do not need to be recharged. Hydrogen is fed to the fuel cell from one side, while air is fed to the other side. This produces force. The byproduct is water. The cells produce energy as long as hydrogen is supplied.
Domestic hydrogen fuel production received a $1 billion investment in Regional Clean Hydrogen Center funding in 2023 from the federal government. Federal officials selected Washington, Oregon and Montana, collectively known as the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub, as one of seven award recipients.
Interim hydrogen production sites in Washington could be Bellingham, Centralia, East Wenatchee and Kennewick, according to the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association.
Having a hydrogen producer nearby would allow Community Transit to purchase fuel locally, reducing shipping costs — both in money and the carbon output of those trips.
“We’re talking with some partners who are investing in hydrogen in Snohomish County,” Ilgenfritz said. “And we will continue to have those conversations and decide what is best for us.”
Decarbonizing some bus routes is more difficult than others, Heim said. For example, heavy vehicles like buses require a lot of energy to go up hills. Community Transit’s service area covers approximately 1,300 square miles — from Darrington to the Shoreline and beyond.
The trial period will give Community Transit time to plan what new infrastructure it will need, such as more electric charging and hydrogen refueling stations. These stations may be built on existing Community Transit property, but Elgenfritz said he has not ruled out the need to purchase property in the future.
Community Transit can also produce hydrogen itself. The agency wouldn’t be the first: The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District in Illinois operates its own hydrogen production plant.
“We need high reliability, and we need to be able to rely on a hydrogen source to be able to deploy a fleet of these vehicles,” Elgenfritz said.
Transportation officials aren’t particularly concerned about supply chain issues. In fact, demand is exploding.
“These buses are just entering the market in a way you wouldn’t believe,” said Community Transit Director of Maintenance Mike Suihla.
Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jordehansen.
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