New electric buses are on the road in Columbia with more on the way

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia has three new electric city buses on routes this summer, with three more getting ready to hit the road.

Public Works Spokesperson John Ogan said the department had six new Model K8M electric buses delivered to the city this summer. Three are already on Go COMO routes, while three others will be ready for use in August or September.

Ogan said the city now has ten electric buses, eight diesel buses and seven compressed natural gas buses on routes.

"They're environmentally friendly. They're state of the art," Ogan said. "And this fits in with the city's sustainability and climate plans. It's important for us to replace our diesel vehicles with low- or no-emission vehicles as soon as possible."

The manufacturer's website said each bus eliminates around 1,690 tons of carbon dioxide over its 12-year lifespan.

Along with being environmentally friendly, Ogan said these electric vehicles are also saving the city money.

While the manufacturer's cost of each K8M bus is around $865,000, Ogan said the city was able to get that price down to around $173,000 per bus due to grant money. This is cheaper than new diesel buses, which would have cost the city around $480,000 per bus.

On top of this, Ogan said electric buses require less maintenance and the electricity will cost less than diesel fuel. Therefore, he said the buses are more cost-effective and minimize the financial burden on taxpayers.

The Sierra Club Mid-Missouri Group is excited for the city's use of electric buses due to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Chair Carolyn Amparan said between the environment and costs, these buses are a win-win.

"As taxpayers, it benefits all of us to have vehicles that are lower cost to both maintain and operate," Amparan aid. "Electric vehicles fit all of those."

The new buses are powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries. Ogan said the batteries are safe and can usually make it an entire day without needing to recharge.

However, he said weeks like this when the temperature gets above 95 degrees and the buses' air conditioners are working heavily, the batteries may need to recharge earlier.

"For the majority of the year, one charge--which takes about 3.5 hours--should be enough for all of the routes," Ogan said.

This is an upgrade from the department's older electric vehicles. Ogan said public works has been using electric buses since 2017 and said some of the older models require a charge halfway through the day.

The K8M buses are also larger than the older electric models, standing at 35 feet long and 32 seats per bus.

However, electric buses are still smaller than the 40-foot diesel buses, which Go COMO passenger Kelly Johnson said is noticeable.

"Being a regular passenger of the city bus, I do not like (the electric buses)," Johnson said. "They are a lot smaller, they lack seats, it's very crowded on those."

However, she said the electric buses do offer a smoother and quieter ride. Ogan said drivers have reciprocated that feeling, as well.

"The battery life has exceeded our expectations, and in many ways, it's exceeded our expectations in all kinds of ways," Ogan said.

Lithium iron phosphate batteries are the safest type of lithium battery because they won't overheat and won't catch fire, according to Lithiumhub.com. Ogan said there have been no reports or concerns of the batteries catching fire so far in Columbia.

Upon receiving the six new electric buses, Ogan said the city has retired six older diesel buses. He said those buses have been sent to auction and the proceeds will go back to the city's budget.

He said drivers did have to undergo some training with the new electric buses since the accelerator works differently from a diesel-powered car.