The Trump administration is citing a recent fire in SEPTA’s decommissioned electric bus fleet as it bashes the federal government’s past investments in environmentally friendly technologies.
The blaze, on June 5, started from the battery in a Proterra electric bus parked in a SEPTA lot in North Philadelphia, burning at least 16 buses and causing a brief spike in air pollutant levels. A similar battery fire occurred in another Proterra bus in November 2022.
The Federal Transit Administration on Wednesday asked SEPTA to provide information on its storage methods for decommissioned electric buses and lithium-ion batteries, while apparently alluding to the Green New Deal, a set of policies to address climate change that was proposed but never enacted.
“This is not the first green deal initiative to backfire with serious long-term ramifications, bringing into question how safe and efficient these investments are,” said Marcus Molinaro, who was confirmed as FTA Administrator this week. “We will investigate what steps can be taken to avoid the public safety risk caused by these vehicles and work to ensure proper safety protocols are in place.”
While the FTA regularly asks local transit agencies to provide information on safety issues and other matters, Molinaro’s letter goes beyond the typically dry bureaucratic language of such requests.
“These incidents cast a disquieting spotlight across the country, raising questions in state capitals and municipal committees alike: How secure are these Proterra assets once retired, and who holds proactive accountability when a ‘green’ initiative becomes a public safety hazard?” he wrote to SEPTA.
“Likewise, FTA expects clear and well-documented evidence that decisions are being made nationwide to mitigate any of these risks. Without this, public support for the clean-energy transit initiatives, which have been fostered under recent administrations, could be jeopardized,” he said.
The federal agency said the request is part of “its routine oversight responsibilities to assess broader national safety risks associated with aging electric vehicle fleets.” In addition to the information on storage protocols, the letter asks SEPTA to explain what it has learned about additional safety procedures that would decrease the likelihood of fires.
“SEPTA has been in regular communication with the FTA regarding the Proterra bus fire,” a spokesperson for the transit authority said. “We are reviewing the requested information and will respond to the FTA prior to the August 20th deadline.”
Buses failed quickly
SEPTA acquired 25 Proterra battery-electric buses in 2019, during President Donald Trump’s first term. They cost $24 million, including $2.6 million provided by the FTA to help cover the higher price compared to hybrid buses.
Funding for the purchases was authorized by a federal transportation bill signed by President Obama in 2015 and a budget bill signed by Trump in 2018. The Green New Deal, a set of energy and economic policies championed by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was subsequently proposed in 2019 but did not pass.
The Proterra buses were used on two South Philly bus routes, but they quickly developed problems and were taken out of service in February 2020, after less than a year of use.
With heavy batteries to extend their range and lightweight vehicle frames to reduce power use, they developed cracks throughout the vehicle bodies, PlanPhilly reported in 2021.
Around the same time, Proterra buses were also taken out of service in Minnesota, Indiana, New Mexico and other places due to range issues and other problems.
While it haggled with Proterra over repairing the buses, SEPTA stored them at its Southern Bus Depot. A battery power pack in one of the buses ignited in November 2022, starting a fire that sent smoke billowing from a garage and damaged the bus, the Inquirer reported.
As of earlier this year, SEPTA was storing 15 Proterra buses and 25 other old buses at its Midvale Depot in North Philly, apparently with plans to sell them for scrap. In June, a battery in one of the Proterras started burning, leading to a larger fire that sent up a thick plume of black smoke and destroyed 16 buses, according to the FTA letter.
“We have to get them off of our property, away from the potential where we could have an incident like this,” SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said at the time. “That could have been far worse. We don’t want to lose an entire facility and, more importantly, we don’t want to hurt anyone. So, we want to get these vehicles off-site.”
While a number of other cities reported problems with Proterra buses, Philadelphia is apparently the only one that has experienced battery fires. Colorado-based Proterra declared bankruptcy in 2023 and its transit bus division was purchased by Phoenix Motorcars, a California company.
SEPTA, meanwhile, has continued to receive FTA funding to subsidize a planned transition to zero-emission vehicles. Last year, it acquired 10 buses with hydrogen fuel cells that generate electricity and has plans to eventually buy 10 battery electric buses, Grid magazine reported.
