By Scott Miller
smiller@scbiznews.com
Published Sept. 21, 2010

Proterra Inc. expects to ship its first made-in-Greenville electric bus on Oct. 15 to Fort Lewis, Wash.

The company plans to build eight buses at its temporary facility on Whitlee Court this year, and 80 buses there in 2011. The buses arrive at the facility as empty shells and each one takes about 14 weeks to assemble. Right now, five are on the assembly line.

Proterra provided the first group tour of the facility today to students at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research, where Proterra ultimately will locate its permanent assembly facility that could employ around 1,300 people.

Students rode on one of Proterra’s zero-emissions, electric buses from CU-ICAR to Proterra’s plant. No pictures were allowed in the facility. The bus is being delivered to Foothill Transit in California and is one of the last buses Proterra built in Colorado, said Westy Bowen, vice president of integrated supply.

“We are a Greenville company,” he said. “No more buses are being manufactured in Colorado.”

Proterra will bring research and development and charging station production to the temporary Greenville location, as well. Currently, 34 people work there, including managers, assembly workers and engineers. Production at the temporary location began July 19.

Bowen said construction of the facility at CU-ICAR is expected to begin this year and take 12 to 18 months to complete. Proterra hired Context Design Group of Greenville to design the facility, he said, and will seek to hire a local contractor to lead construction once designs are complete.

Proterra also continues to seek Upstate companies to localize its supply base.

Previous coverage
Proterra: financing will lead to global expansion
Proterra secures financing, revamps business plan
Proterra has hired first workers, plans to build bus in Greenville in July
Proterra suppliers next on Upstate radar
Proterra to invest $68M, hire 1,300 in Greenville