Electric buses will be back on Connecticut roads on Monday. This comes after one caught on fire in Hamden last year and forced all of them to be pulled from service.
After the fire, electric buses were pulled from the fleet. The Department of Transportation said the electric buses were recalled because of a defect in the vehicle's design.
“We’re confident in the due diligence that we did, and today’s the day that they’re going back,” said Benjamin Limmer of the CT DOT.
The bus manufacturer and charging manufacturer worked with the DOT and now they have enhanced training and procedures for drivers and those in maintenance and charging units. Enhancements were also made to the battery system.
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“The coolant had a reaction with the lithium ion battery that was within the compartment, and that’s what created the thermal activity,” Limmer said. “We made the necessary modifications to that battery compartment to ensure that liquid could not get built up, plus we made software upgrades on the buses to ensure that if there was any inconsistent or irregular activity that we would be able to be notified of that."
This all comes after an electric bus caught on fire last July at a bus depot in Hamden. Fire crews said lithium-ion battery fires are hard to extinguish because the thermal chemical process produces a great deal of heat and continually reignites.
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At the time, Hamden firefighters decided to let it burn out because water from the lithium-ion battery could end up in a nearby watershed. Plus, the batteries are built into a steel case.
Before returning to service, each bus also went through a thorough inspection and road test.
“We don’t get that nasty smoke smell when it passes by so it’s a good look. I wish that all the buses get like that eventually someday,” said Lyonel White of New Haven.
DOT says the state is planning to go all-electric by the year 2025.
“The goal is to have 100% battery electric buses, or alternatively fueled vehicles 100% across the board by 2035,” Limmer said.
