industry: This projectincorporatesfourtechnologiesthatarenew thepublictransit reduction inGHGemissions. diesel-powered busesinLink Transit’s fleet,thuscontributingtoa Additionally, thesefiveelectricbuseswilldisplace fiveconventional Transit with100% renewable electricalpowerforcharging thesebuses. where fourhydroelectricdamsandnumerouswindturbines provideLink Link Transit islocatedneartheColumbiaRiverincentral , emissions byutilizingrenewableelectricitytopowerfiveall-electricbuses. This $2.9million TIGGER projectwillreducegreenhousegas(GHG) two downtownroutesinWenatchee, Washington. accessible electrictrolleybuseswilloperateon with chargingstations. The 22-foot,lowfloor, purchasing fiveelectrictrolleybusesalong technology intoitsWenatchee busfleetby Link Transit isincorporatingvehicleefficiency TransitEmissions atLink Cut Energy Use, Electric Trolley 2. 1. Courtesy of Link Transit of thetrolley. cells atauniform voltage,whichoptimizes theperformanceandrange Innovative batterybalancing softwaretokeepallofthe256individual Nevada-based Altairnano. NanoSafe lithiumion(titanate matrix)batteriesmanufacturedby

Vehicle Project Funding mechanism: Congressional district: Award amount: FTA region number: TIGGER goal: Location: Transit agency: Project name: cutaways. vans and6diesel-powered is operatedwith16gas-powered van chassis).Paratransitservice trolleys andcutaways(bodyon diesel poweredbuses,replica fixed-route fleetconsistsof57 the fixedroute.Link Transit’s 945,000 passengerstraveled surrounding ruralarea.In2008, additional 45,000peopleinthe Wenatchee urbanareaandan with 60,000peoplelivinginthe encompasses 3,500squaremiles The Link Transit servicearea the MissionRidgeSkiResort. routes, and1seasonalrouteto routes, 2longdistancecommuter urban fixedroutes, 11 ruralflex the stateofWashington, with12 Chelan andDouglasCountiesin service for17communitiesin Link Transit providesyear-round Wenatchee ElectricBusProject Energy andGHGemissionsreduction Recovery Act (ARRA) Wenatchee, Washington

$2,925,000 Link TransitLink Ⅹ

WA-4

Wenatchee Electric Project

3. A battery cooling system that will further increase the life of the batteries About TIGGER through active temperature management. The Transit Investment for Greenhouse 4. Automated, rapid, hands-free, stationary opportunity charging equipment Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) Program was established in 2009 by manufactured by California-based Ebus, Inc. the U.S. Department of Transportation’s The NanoSafe batteries are predicted Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Designed to reduce energy use and to have 6,000 full recharge cycles, Impact: greenhouse gas emissions in transit Link Transit is reducing energy giving each battery an effective life agencies around the country, the TIGGER use and GHG emissions by span of 6 years in the Link Transit Program made funds available for capital duty cycle. This means that Link investments that would reduce green- operating electric trolley buses house gas emissions or lower the energy Transit will have to replace the battery powered by renewable sources. use of public transportation systems. package at the mid-life point of the An initial $100 million in American bus. While the cost of replacing the Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants battery pack will be significant, the relatively low local power costs will offset funded 43 competitively-selected transit the cost. At current diesel prices, it would cost Link Transit an estimated projects. In 2010, the FTA provided an additional $75 million in grants to fund 27 $99,690 to fuel a diesel-powered vehicle in this service over a 12-year period. new TIGGER projects. These 70 projects The battery-electric buses use 12 kilowatts per hour, which—at Link Transit’s are employing a variety of technologies to current power rates—adds up to $11,664 over the 12-year life of the vehicle. meet the program goals, including solar The estimated $88,000 in savings will cover the cost of battery replacement. installations, building efficiency improve- ments, wind technology, wayside energy The new charging equipment is designed to safely allow passengers to get on storage for rail, and purchase of more efficient buses. In fiscal year 2011, FTA and off the bus at the same time the vehicle is being charged. The automated, provided an additional $49.9 million to rapid, hands-free, stationary opportunity charging equipment enables the bus continue the program. driver to quickly position the vehicle into its dedicated boarding area and provides an automated connection so the driver doesn’t have to plug cables For More Information into a receptacle. The system incorporates a charging plug that is attached to Link Transit: a stationary vertical tower; this electrical plug is pneumatically deployed and www.linktransit.com contacts the charging receptacle located on the trolley roof. FTA TIGGER: The charging station delivers 320 kW of electrical power to the bus in www.fta.dot.gov/TIGGER approximately four minutes, which allows the battery-powered bus to maintain the same service cycle as the conventional diesel-powered buses. Two quick-charge stations are located at Link Transit’s Intermodal Transportation Center (Columbia Station) in downtown Wenatchee, and the trolley buses charge for approximately 5 minutes while they lay over at the station every 30 minutes. The electric buses have a range of approximately 20 miles after charging.

This project demonstrates the practicality and feasibility of using all-electric, lithium ion titanate battery-powered transit vehicles on traditionally diesel- powered transit routes in order to greatly reduce, if not fully eliminate, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with these routes. In addition, U.S. Department of Transportation the electric-powered vehicles have improved efficiency and reduced Link Federal Transit Administration 1-866-377-8642 Transit’s overall energy use. This project will serve as a precedent for other transit agencies to replicate. TIGGER - FS - WA-77-0002 - August 2011

Prepared for FTA by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory