What's New

• On December 4, 2024, FTA published the Effectiveness of Wireless Charging for Electric Transit Buses - An Industry Report (Report 0270) report that presents the results of a study on the effectiveness of wireless charging as an alternative to wired charging and includes recommendations for deploying wireless charging for public transportation, as mandated in the FY 2023 House Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriation Report.

Overview

FTA established the Transit Vehicle Innovation Deployment program to develop innovative research, demonstration, and industry outreach projects for advancing zero-emission transit bus development and commercialization. 

Transit Vehicle Innovation Deployment Centers (TVIDC) provide demonstration and testing facilities to research the next generation of public transportation vehicle technology and facilitate an integrated, cohesive public transportation innovation deployment network. TVIDC facilities enable FTA to:

• Convene transit agencies and U.S. transit vehicle manufacturers involved in researching, testing, deploying, and commercializing low and no emissions vehicles and related components. 
• Assess ways to support transit agencies’ modernization efforts to move to zero emission fleets. 
• Provide a repository for tech transfer and education, collecting the field research, data, and information to share with the public transportation industry.

FTA’s zero-emission transit research goals include:

• Fostering sustainable and resilient systems for transit vehicles and infrastructure.
• Exploring ways to charge and optimize charging costs and operations for large, small, and rural transit agencies.

Organizational Support

Through the TVIDC program, the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) and CALSTART are developing solutions to the challenges of continued innovation, development, and adoption of zero-emission transit technologies. FTA’s Transit Vehicle Innovation Deployment Advisory Panel supports the TVIDC effort by convening industry and transit agency stakeholders to collaborate on solutions to the challenges of continued innovation, development, and adoption of zero-emission transit technologies.

Additionally, FTA also developed a resource center for transit agencies to implement best practices in next-generation vehicle deployment and to house the research and publications developed under the program. The Clean Transit Innovation Network (CTIN) website shares testing information and research findings to industry at no cost, including white papers and online tools.

Statutory Reference

FTA Public Transportation Innovation Program (49 U.S.C. § 5312)

Featured Resources

White Paper or Report

Tool

Type	Title and Description
	Effectiveness of Wireless Charging for Electric Transit Buses - An Industry Report - December 2024 This report presents the results of a study on the effectiveness of wireless charging as an alternative to wired charging and includes recommendations for deploying wireless charging for public transportation, as mandated in the FY 2023 House Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriation Report.
	Microtransit: Definitions, Trends, and Applications – January 2022 This white paper provides an overview of the expanding realm of microtransit and how it is filling the gaps in more traditional transit and transportation, between fixed-route transit bus services and private vehicles (including taxis and ride-hailing/ride-sharing vehicles).
	Fuel-Fired Heaters: Emissions, Fuel Utilization, and Regulations in Battery Electric Transit Buses  - August 2021 This report provides insight on the current technology and use of fuel-fired heaters in transit buses and the challenges transit agencies face in pursuing zero-emission goals with a diesel-fueled auxiliary heater.
	California Transit Agencies Chart a Course to Zero Emissions – June 2021 This report provides summary statistics and simple observations on how large California transit agencies' planned migrations to zero-emission technologies under California’s Innovative Clean Transit regulation.
	Simplifying Zero Emission Transit Bus Procurements: Lessons Learned from Statewide Contracts - April 2020 This report helps states navigate contract development for purchasing ZEBs by providing perspective, methods to success, and lessons to learn for states interested in initiating their own statewide contracts.
	Zero Emission Bus Compendium (ZETI)   The Zero-Emission Technology Inventory (ZETI) tool is an interactive online resource to establish a current and shared knowledge base for worldwide commercially available offerings of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs). The tool aims to provide fleets and governments with comprehensive information, including regions where zero-emission brands are available for purchase, and the timeline over which additional models are expected to become available.
	Total Cost of Ownership Estimator  This tool helps fleets better plan for Low-No vehicle purchases and assess the costs of advanced vehicles compared to similar conventionally fueled options.
	Funding Highway  This resource center organizes all available ZEB project and funding opportunities, as well as best practices in one place for fleets.