SC Minnesota News

A plan to have some commuters in Minnesota use electric buses has hit a snag due to issues with the charging stations, and at least one publication said the issues show it’s not quite time to give up on traditional mass transit.

In an article on the American Experiment website, the author noted that the buses, which have been pulled from the road, have a price tag of $1.2 million, considerably more than the $400,000 cost of a traditional diesel bus. 

The issues the buses are experiencing are not much different than the issues electric cars have faced in Minnesota over the years. During the cold weather months, electric cars can lose up to 40 percent of their battery life, even when the temperature is 20 degrees above zero, according to a study the author pointed to from AAA.

“Needlessly spending an additional $3.2 million on electric buses that don’t work as well as diesel buses is just one example of the senseless waste state and local government officials partake in to appear ‘green,’” the American Experiment author said. “This willingness to allocate scare resources to more expensive, less useful forms of transportation is an abdication of the responsibility local officials assume when they take office.”

The article was in response to an article in the Star Tribune reporting that electric buses that would normally run on the C Line between Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center would be replaced by their more traditional counterparts.

Metro Transit spokesman Howie Padilla told the paper that the agency was disappointed that the transition from diesel to electric was “not as seamless as we expected (it) to be,” but added that officials look forward to having the modern vehicles back in service "when possible.”

The eight electric vehicles first hit the city’s roads in June and were built by New Flyer of America, according to the Tribune. The buses were supposed to be charged overnight and then need 12-minute charges during the day, according to the story.