Knoxville Area Transit will begin using electric vehicles by fall of next year thanks to a federal grant that will help purchase the fully-electric vehicles and related infrastructure.
KAT is receiving a $3.6 million grant from the Federal Transit Authority, which will provide 5 fully-electric customized buses.
These will be the first fully electric buses in the KAT fleet. The agency currently has 13 hybrid electric buses and trolleys in its fleet.
“This grant is great news for Knoxville residents and KAT riders,” Mayor Madeline Rogero said in a statement. “It will allow us to add new, energy-efficient buses to our fleet and continue our reduction of carbon emissions from city operations."
The buses will have a range of at least 150 miles, and will begin running on the Sutherland Avenue route, KAT said.
"The city of Knoxville and the sustainability office there really have some pretty substantial goals about reducing our carbon emissions and this will go a long way toward that," said Belinda Woodiel-Brill, KAT director of communications.
KAT expects the buses to be running routes in Knoxville by the end of 2019.