As the final phase of converting Pace’s Waukegan bus garage into one that can service electric vehicles is underway, the suburban transportation company is replacing diesel-fueled buses with hybrids as it moves toward its Project Zero goal of an all-electric fleet by 2040.
With two electric buses already on the road along 95th Street in the southwest suburbs, Pace spokeswoman Maggie Daly Skogsbakken said 27 more are in the process of being delivered. There are already 47 hybrids on the streets, and 22 more in the process of delivery.
Along with the two electric buses operating in the southwest suburbs, Skogsbakken said there is an electric paratransit bus already operational. The entire Pace fleet consists of 700 buses.
Skogsbakken said Lake County, with its bus garage in Waukegan, will be the first area to go all electric. A precise date is not yet scheduled. The city and Lake County are first for a variety of reasons, including the number of buses running in the area and them being a victim of industrial pollution.
“Waukegan has a lot of people who depend on public transportation,” Skogsbakken said. “That’s one of the reasons for the investment here. The Waukegan garage helps us meet a lot of our goals because of the size of the fleet and the number of buses it operates.”
Pace is in the process of completing work on the Waukegan garage and getting more hybrid and electric buses on the streets in Lake County and the other five counties it serves as it moves toward its all-electric goal in the next 14 years.
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“The transition is both an environmental commitment and an operational strategy, requiring careful coordination of buses, charging and fueling infrastructure, garage improvements, funding, training, and service planning,” Skogsbakken said.
Completing the installation of 13 outdoor chargers at Pace’s Waukegan bus garage in December, Skogsbakken said the garage itself is now undergoing renovations to get it ready to store and maintain electric buses. She expects the work to be complete by the end of 2028.
Lindsey Umek, Pace’s chief operations officer, said in an email the buses are only one part of the transition to an all-electric fleet. Mechanics are learning new technology, safety procedures, and troubleshooting protocols.
“The bus itself is only one piece of the project,” Umek said. “Chargers, power upgrades, maintenance procedures, emergency planning, and staff training all have to be in place before (electric buses) can become part of daily service.”
When complete, Skogsbakken said the garage will have 60 additional chargers, expanded room for bus storage and “advanced state-of-the-art repair improvements.” The work is being done in stages so it will not need to be closed while the work is done.
Though 27 new electric buses are in the delivery process, Melinda Metzger, Pace’s executive director, said significant planning is necessary before they can take passengers where they need to go.
“Putting a battery-electric bus on the road is not as simple as buying the vehicle and turning the key,” Metzger said. “It takes careful coordination. We have to (make sure) the technology fits the service and performs reliably for riders day after day.”
Metzger said procurement is one part of the effort. The length of the route, time for recharging, and scheduling to make sure buses, chargers, route and support personnel are all ready to make sure the all-electric program works smoothly.
Before the project is complete and operational in 2040, Skogsbakken said the price tag will likely be in the vicinity of $1 billion. There will no longer be a need to purchase diesel fuel. The latest 27-bus purchase was funded by a grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
As Pace transitions from its previously all-diesel-powered fleet to electric buses, Skogsbakken said all replacement vehicles will be hybrid, using diesel fuel some of the time and electric power at other times.
“There is less noise … and less emissions with the hybrids,” Skogsbakken said. “Every replacement going forward will be hybrid or electric. This is how we will bridge the gap between diesel and electric buses.”