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Podcast: Cascade CounterPoint
Episode: QP: TriMet's Electric Bus Plans Could Burst into Flames
Description: Full Text: Connecticut’s bus service just pulled its entire fleet of electric buses after one bus burst into uncontrollable flames. While the small risk of an electric bus fire is scary, Portland’s TriMet could face huge financial fires if it continues growing its electric fleet.
The upfront costs to go electric are high, and TriMet has no plans to cover these costs. Until this year, TriMet received one-time federal grants and funds to purchase electric buses. Now, the agency doesn’t know how it will sustain future spending. TriMet can purchase each bus for about $1 millio...