# Recovery Act support brings jobs to Greenville, SC; Electric bus rolls off assembly line into transit service

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2011/06/recovery-act-support-brings-jobs-to-greenville-sc-electric-bus-rolls-off-assembly-line-into-transit-service/
- Published: 2011-06-08T16:10:14-04:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

Thanks in part to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants, 112 Greenville,
SC, workers are grateful this season for the best of gifts in these economic times:
jobs in a growth industry.

Over the last few years, DOT has invested in cutting-edge research to help put a
new generation of clean, fuel-efficient, zero-emission buses on our streets. And
I’m very excited to see those investments are paying off–and generating many new
green jobs in the process.

Earlier this month, the world’s first battery-powered electric bus–fully chargable
in only 10 minutes!–rolled off the new assembly line at Proterra, Inc.’s expanded
manufacturing facility in Greenville.

[⌊green living news, Green Jobs, green business, electric transport, electric buses,
Greenville, SC, green living, Proterra electric buses⌉⌊green living news, Green 
Jobs, green business, electric transport, electric buses, Greenville, SC, green 
living, Proterra electric buses⌉[
 The Proterra crew celebrates the first EcoRide
BE-35

As a result of Proterra’s success, many Greenville area residents are now fully 
employed at the plant. And with more than 80 buses still in the works, and inquiries
pouring in from many domestic and international transit agencies, Proterra is ready
to ramp up production. A second assembly line will begin operation in 2011 at a 
larger facility currently under construction at Clemson University’s International
Center for Automotive Research.

This “made in America” success story is rippling literally across the country. Foothill
Transit, serving the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, is using a $6.6 million
Recovery Act grant to put Proterra’s new Ecoliner into service, the first transit
agency in the country to do so.

[⌊Foothill Transit⌉⌊Foothill Transit⌉[

Foothill Transit passengers now enjoy a clean, quiet, comfortable ride. Even area
residents who don’t ride transit benefit from the zero-emissions buses. And there’s
more work for folks living in this economically distressed community, as charging
stations are built, installed, and maintained to keep these buses running.

The ripple effect doesn’t stop there. With a $118 million Recovery Act grant, Aerovironment,
Inc., which makes key components for Proterra’s fast-charging stations, has been
able to expand its American manufacturing capabilities in this rapidly growing green
industry. And [Energetx](https://web.archive.org/web/20190130091428/https://www.energetxcomposites.com/)
in Holland, Michigan, has also gained jobs as a key supplier.

Now, while this green economic activity is a terrific development, it may not have
happened as quickly had it not been for our Federal Transit Administration’s National
Fuel Cell Bus Program. Back in August, 2009, FTA awarded a three-year, $450,000 
grant to the Center for Transportation and the Environment in Atlanta to test Proterra’s
fuel cell technology.

New jobs, cleaner air, and greater mobility–the lesson is crystal clear. When our
government invests in American innovation and taps into our collective ingenuity,
we reap the rewards in the form of economic growth and home-grown solutions to our
most pressing energy and transportation challenges.

Source: Aerovironment

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 greenlivingguy

 The Green Living Guy, Seth Leitman is an independent power producer, a green living
expert, and Editor of the McGraw-Hill, TAB Green Guru Guides. Seth is also an Author,
Radio Host, Reporter, Writer and an Environmental Consultant on green living. The
Green Living Guy writes about green living, green lighting, the green guru guides
and more. Seth's books range from: # Build Your Own Electric Vehicle by Bob Brant
and Seth Leitman (2nd and 3rd editions) # Build Your Own Plug-in Hybrid Electric
Vehicle by Seth Leitman # Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle by Carl Vogel # Green
Lighting by Seth Leitman, Brian Clark Howard and Bill Brinsky # Solar Power For 
Your Home by David Findley # Renewable Energies For Your Home by Russel Gehrke #
Do-it-Yourself Home Energy Audits by David Findley # Build Your Own Small Wind Power
System by Brian Clark Howard and Kevin Shea # and more green living books to follow.

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