Electric buses continue to increase in North Carolina with funding awards and purchases being announced. The state expects to see an addition of 25 all-electric buses through Phase 2 of the Volkswagen Settlement and a few more through the Federal Transit Administration’s Low- and No-Emission Grant Awards. These announcements will increase the tally of transit systems that have or will soon have electric buses in their fleets to 13.

Electrifying medium- and heavy-duty vehicles provides an array of operational, community and utility benefits, including lower operating costs, fuel savings and greater grid reliability, all without the noise or emissions pollution that come with traditional diesel vehicles. To learn more about the benefits of electric buses, click here.

To compare the current electric transit bus numbers with North Carolina’s status in 2020, click here.

• City of Greensboro
  • The City of Greensboro currently has 17 electric buses in its fleet, which is the most in the state.
  • Recent funding awards will increase the city’s total to 21.
• Charlotte Area Transit System
  • In April 2021, Charlotte Area Transit System announced the purchase of 18 electric buses that would be funded by grants from the Federal Transit Administration and their Capital Investment Program. These electric buses will be part of a public-private partnership with eTransEnergy, a subsidiary/affiliate of Duke Energy.
  • In August 2022, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ) announced that Charlotte Area Transit System will receive funding for seven electric buses, with 3% of the funds going towards charging infrastructure costs.
• Chapel Hill Transit
  • Chapel Hill Transit has three electric buses in operation and eight more on order, which will put them at 11 total. Funding from NC DEQ will assist with these purchases.
• GoDurham
  • In April 2021, GoDurham introduced two electric buses that were purchased with funding assistance from the Federal Transit Administration.
  • In August 2022, NC DEQ announced that Durham will receive funding for six electric buses. That same month, the Federal Transit Administration announced that Durham will receive funding to replace older diesel vehicles.
• Raleigh-Durham International Airport
  • Raleigh-Durham International Airport has four electric buses in operation. In 2022, it decided to purchase four more electric transit buses, bringing its fleet to a total of eight.
• GoR​aleigh
  • GoRaleigh has five electric buses in operation.
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport
  • Charlotte Douglas International Airport has five electric buses in operation.
• Duke University
  • Duke University will use recent funding awards to add two electric buses to its fleet, bringing the school’s total to four.

• North Carolina Zoo
  • In August 2022, NC DEQ announced that the North Carolina Zoo will receive funding for two electric buses that will be used in its shuttle program. About 16% of this funding will go towards charging infrastructure costs.
• East Carolina University
  • In August 2022, NC DEQ announced that East Carolina University will receive funding for two electric buses.
• City of Raleigh
  • In April 2022, the City of Raleigh introduced a new electric bus to be used by the Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department.
  • In August 2022, NC DEQ announced that the City of Raleigh will receive funding for an electric trolley, with 5% of the funding going towards charging infrastructure costs.

Let us know if we missed any electric transit buses, and we would be happy to include them in this list!