The University of California, Los Angeles has received a state grant of nearly $20 million to electrify its bus fleet and install California's first in-road electric vehicle charging system, according to Electrek.
UCLA will use the grant funding to transition the school's fleet of buses to 100% EVs, expand its service, and construct in-road EV charging with the help of Electreon — the leading provider of wireless charging solutions for EVs.
Electreon's tried-and-true technology has already been successfully deployed along routes in Detroit, and it has announced an expansion to service commercial delivery vehicles.
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The Events and Transportation Department at UCLA received the $19.85 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency's Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program. The grant was awarded in collaboration with the nonprofit CALSTART, an organization committed to increasing clean transportation in California.
Switching from gas-powered vehicles to EVs will cut down on long-term costs for the university, and the expansion of service will benefit more students. It will also reduce the university's pollution output, keeping the air cleaner and helping to curb rising global temperatures.
Currently, UCLA utilizes five all-electric buses and one passenger van EV, and the grant will allow the addition of eight more electric buses. With Electreon's installation of inductive charging coils below the road, the EVs can recharge along routes on Charles E. Young Drive between the Westwood Plaza intersection and Murphy Hall.
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UCLA also plans to build a new transit hub between the UCLA bus depot and the upcoming UCLA/Westwood station, equipped with static wireless charging capabilities. Charging spots will be installed at other passenger pick-up and drop-off locations and transit depots as well.
"The new transit hub and extension will be a game-changer for connectivity in Westwood," said Clinton Bench, director of UCLA Fleet and Transit, per Electrek. "It will make it easier for everyone to travel between UCLA and key destinations throughout Los Angeles, especially as the city prepares to host the Olympics, thereby fostering a more integrated and accessible urban landscape."
Known for promoting sustainable technologies, UCLA plans to electrify BruinBus, its campus transit system, and install the EV charging areas in time for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics set to take place in Los Angeles.
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