Colorado Springs, Denver and cities across the country have promised full-fleet transitions to transit buses powered by batteries. A Springs news release promised new electric buses that would arrive in time for Earth Day of 2022.

Activists and politicians, whether they believe it, tell us this transition to electric busing will deliver “zero-emissions” public transportation.

“These new buses are not only environmentally friendly, but also quiet and attractive,” said Craig Blewitt, Transit Services Manager, in the release. “This is an exciting addition to our bus fleet and the way we deliver service.”

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That was then. When the buses arrived at $1.2 million each, half of them did not work and have seldom worked since. It renders meaningless the toil of child slaves who mine metals — essential to electric vehicles — under cruel conditions.

“So two of them (the buses) have drive motors out,” said Elaine Sheridan, spokeswoman with Colorado Springs’ Mountain Metro.

“… It has been various different things. We are working with the company that made them, Proterra. They’ve gone under Chapter 11 bankruptcy so now we’re in an even bigger issue because parts are a problem for Proterra.”

Other cities around the globe have similar problems with brand-new e-buses taking up excessive space, requiring expensive charging apparatus, and costly repairs involving rare parts. Often, the buses refuse to move no matter what.

Denver officials in 2021 announced plans to replace 1,000 internal combustion buses with battery versions. Last spring, the city’s Regional Transportation District canceled an $18 million plan to buy 17 buses to begin the transition, saying they lacked adequate space and charging infrastructure.

On Dec. 30, EuroNews reported that the electric buses were dormant in Oslo, Norway, unable to operate in the cold. When e-buses function in the cold, heating the cabins quickly drains their batteries.

The article quotes Anna Stefanopoulou, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, suggesting we equip battery buses “with diesel heaters” for winter months.

Putting a diesel-powered heater on a “zero-emission” e-buses makes it a diesel-burning machine that emit exhaust. These buses will be ‘green’ the way cupcakes are health food if topped with almonds.

Proterra, the California-based maker of battery buses, had been a stable and profitable venture for decades. Proterra went bankrupt by falling for a fake demand for battery transit — a demand concocted by politicians and activists, not market forces.

It went bankrupt after President Joe Biden praised the company and subsidized it with millions in federal funds. Solyndra 2.0, indeed.

“That segment of its business (battery buses) has been pulling down Proterra’s other operations due to in part the capital intensity required to build electric vehicles,” explains Forbes.

Ford and other auto manufacturers recently announced plans to greatly reduce plans for future electric vehicles.

The Pacific Research Institute reports “the carbon footprint of EV production is larger than the carbon footprint left behind by the manufacture of conventional cars. The mining needed for the components in their batteries is a dirty business.”

Cities and towns that offer public transit should stop spending lavishly on electric transportation unless and until the products improve substantially. They have done nothing more than waste taxpayers’ money while refusing to work.

Most consumers try to avoid mass transit. Those who have no choice need nothing more than a reliable ride. They don’t need dead behemoth robots stranding them each time the temperature drops or the city can’t find parts for routine repairs.

Denver Gazette Editorial Board