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Proterra


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More "bad" news for Proterra: California and Washington, bolstered by economic stimulus money from taxpayers, are leading the charge as electric bus transit pioneers. I would love to see GREENville, SC, join them in paving the way to cleaner transit.

http://www.scientifi...ed-electric-bus

How is this bad news for Proterra? The transit authorities mentioned in the article have bought Proterra buses and charging stations. Something they probably couldn't to wouldn't do without the stimulus funding.

Edited by vicupstate
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How is this bad news for Proterra? The transit authorities mentioned in the article have bought Proterra buses and charging stations. Something they probably couldn't to wouldn't do without the stimulus funding.

It's a tongue in cheek joke by Skyliner directed at a certain forum member on here who can't seem to get out of his negative nancy state of mind.

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Can someone remind me of what American Titanium's presence at the site will be? HQ, research...? And a number of employees? EDIT: Well, I answered myself. 40 "applied engineering" positions in an R&D role for the company. Construction to start this year.

It would surprise me if Proterra didn't want to locate near the proposed BRT stop, but I'm not sure what those possibilities are... though being on 85 or Laurens Rd would be far greater exposure...

Interesting to go back and see what Proterra promised vs what they have actually delivered. Promised.....1300 jobs and state of the art facility at CU-ICAR, neither of which have happened, nor will they happen. Also, as you quoted above, American Titanium was supposed to have research at CU-ICAR and manufacturing in Lauren's County.....that also never happened. Is it dead?

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http://www.gsabusiness.com/news/44195-california-transit-to-use-proterra-buses?rss=0

Article on Proterra's sale to California transit agency. San Antonio and Tallahassee at in the pipeline for buses too.

Great news. So much for Proterra doing terribly and about to go bankrupt.

Edited by citylife
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Interesting to go back and see what Proterra promised vs what they have actually delivered. Promised.....1300 jobs and state of the art facility at CU-ICAR, neither of which have happened, nor will they happen. Also, as you quoted above, American Titanium was supposed to have research at CU-ICAR and manufacturing in Lauren's County.....that also never happened. Is it dead?

Economy hit the skids. Once the economy is roaring back, I'm betting CU-ICAR will fill up.

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  • 3 weeks later...

From the Greenville News:

Proterra has reconfigured its manufacturing space in the former Orders Distributing Co. warehouse along Interstate 85 in Greenville to create a new assembly line that Bennett said is more efficient and capable of making 300 buses a year.

The line was designed with the help of GM Ventures, the venture capital arm of General Motors and one of Proterra’s investors.

Five buses were being assembled on the line recently, three bound for a transit agency in Tallahassee, one likely going to Stockton, Calif., and the fifth a special project for General Electric.

Bennett said workers were putting in 58 hours a week to fill the orders and were due for a much-deserved rest during a scheduled plant shutdown this month.

The former Eaton Corp. executive said Proterra has about 130 employees so far and hopes to have 300 next year.

He said Proterra has sold or gotten orders for 19 buses and has open or pending requests for up to 22 more out of California.

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From the Gville News:

Proterra, the Greenville-based maker of battery-powered transit buses, will begin exploring overseas markets now that it has secured another $23 million from investors, its chief executive said.

Proterra said its latest financing round was led by Hennessey Capital Management, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm, which got a seat on the board in return for its investment .

Another new investor, NMT Capital, participated in the financing round, as did five other companies that had earlier put $30 million into Proterra, the company announced.

David Bennett, Proterra’s chief executive officer, said Kleiner Perkins, a California venture capital firm, and GM Ventures, the venture capital arm of General Motors Co., remain Proterra’s two largest investors.

Bennett said Proterra will use the cash infusion to invest in product quality and reliability, for next-generation product offerings and to open markets outside of the United States.

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Great news from Proterra. I guess the reports of their demise were greatly exagerrated.

 

From Gville News:

 

 

With its work force doubled in the last nine months, a second production line installed, new sales and a host of new leadership, Proterra — the Greenville-based maker of battery-powered transit buses — is booming.

“It has taken a while for the early adopters to embrace this technology,” said Heidi McNary, Proterra’s vice president of marketing and one of the recent hires at the company. “They want to try it, to see that it works the way we say it does. It’s all brand-new.”

McNary said the company’s last three sales to transit systems are repeat customers.

“We love that,” she said, adding that current customers are the best salesmen as they can demonstrate actual transit routes that effectively use the 35-foot buses, and show they are quiet, clean and cost-effective .

On July 16, StarMetro of Tallahassee announced it bought three $950,000 Proterra buses and one Proterra FastFill charging station. Previously, Worcester (Mass.) Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) used a $4.4 million Federal Transit Authority Clean Fuels grant to buy three of the zero-emission buses.

But the best is yet to come, McNary said.

“We can’t announce it yet,” she said. “But we’ve completed what is the biggest electric bus order in the history of the U.S. It’s exciting.”

Proterra has steadily increased its work force and now has more than 200 full-time employees, McNary said. It also has 50 contract workers. And it’s still hiring as it ramps up production.

In the August issue of Bus Ride — a trade magazine for the bus industry — CEO Garrett E. Mikita said Proterra built eight buses in 2012, is on target for 40 this year, and projects production of 100 buses in 2014. Mikita, a former Honeywell Aerospace executive, has only been at the helm of Proterra since May.

The U.S. bus fleet is aging, McNary said, and it may be the oldest it’s ever been. That leaves Proterra positioned for growth for its buses that can carry 35 passengers seated and another 31 standing.

Mikita and McNary are joined at Proterra by General Counsel Eric McCarthy and Vice President of Operations Jim Gibbs.

Prior to joining Proterra, McNary was vice president of product development and engineering for Hawker Beechcraft. In 13 years with Honeywell Aerospace, she held marketing and strategy positions in the U.S. and in Singapore before becoming executive vice president of sales and marketing and chief operating officer for DeCrane Aerospace in Arizona.

McCarthy brings more than 17 years of litigation, general counsel and executive leadership experience to Proterra. He served most recently as executive vice president and general counsel for Seneca One Finance. Previously he was general counsel for Honeywell Technology Solutions.

Before joining Proterra, Gibbs was most recently vice president of supply chain for Tomkins Industrial & Automotive in Colorado. He also served as vice president for multiple divisions of Honeywell Aerospace in Arizona, Florida and Kansas.

 

 

 

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