Lightning Systems to convert city of Boulder buses to electric

BOULDER — Lightning Systems, a Loveland developer of zero-emission solutions for commercial fleets, is partnering with the city of Boulder and Via Mobility Services to repower diesel buses with battery-electric systems.

The first demonstration vehicle will be on the road this summer, with more than 200 miles of all-electric range.

After the success of the first vehicle, other buses may be converted.

The partnership is a step toward the combined goal of the city of Boulder and Via Mobility Services, a nonprofit that operates the HOP high-frequency shuttle service, converting the 35-foot HOP buses to be all-electric.

“People in Boulder are very interested in reducing the carbon footprint in all that we do,” Frank Bruno, CEO of Via Mobility Services, said in a prepared statement. “Boulder is built on a strong value system for recycling, so why not recycle our buses? Recycle them and make buses out of buses. That’s the motivation we’ve had for doing this. We hope that, upon approval, this partnership with Lightning Systems will blow the market open for repowering old buses around the country, reduce emissions in local environments, and stabilize costs for the future.”

Lightning Systems, in a news release, said the cost to convert a bus from diesel to electric costs a third of the price of a new bus.

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