With Boeing coming to North Charleston, and now Proterra coming to the Upstate, call it “trimming the fat” or just realizing what Wal-Mart has proclaimed for years, unions are not the way to go. Either way, these high-tech companies are leading the charge for others to relocate here to South Carolina.
Proterra Inc., which develops and assembles fuel cell hybrid-powered transit vehicles, has announced that it will locate a facility for R&D and assembly of its products at CU-ICAR here in Greenville.
“This new facility will be our first full-scale, state-of-the-art research and development and manufacturing facility for our groundbreaking clean transportation solutions. Several months ago, Proterra retained the help of eRealty Companies Inc. and NPB Capital to assist in the site selection process. After a nationwide search involving some 30 states, we selected Greenville, South Carolina, as a result of the state’s numerous benefits in terms of work force capabilities and research and development support. Additionally, we were impressed by the efforts of the governor, the federal delegation, the local officials and economic development entities which far exceeded our expectations. We look forward to continuing a long and fruitful level of collaboration with the state of South Carolina and City of Greenville.”
“We are very excited to pursue the next stage of Proterra’s manufacturing and development in Greenville” – Jeff Granato,
CEO of Proterra Inc.
Proterra and its partners design, develop and assemble all-electric and battery-dominant hybrid drive solutions and complete vehicles for commercial applications, including transit, school and commercial buses; parcel delivery vehicles; and other class 4-8 trucks. Its revolutionary BE-35 fast charge battery electric transit bus has been tested at the FTA’s Altoona Center as achieving between 17 – 21 mpg (diesel equivalent), a roughly 500% improvement over conventional diesel buses. Proterra’s very first vehicle, a battery-dominant fuel cell-hybrid transit bus funded by the transit administration, is already in service here in Columbia, even though Proterra is headquartered in Golden, Colo., at the Coors Technology Center.
In April 2009, independent verification at the Altoona Test Track resulted in 17.5 to 29.5 MPGe diesel fuel equivalent. Additionally, Proterra is currently recognized by the California Air Resource Board as the only company that meets zero-emission bus technology (Zbus) with a battery electric bus.
Clemson University President James F. Barker said the announcement brings one of the nation’s most innovative transportation companies to Upstate South Carolina.
“This is exciting news for Clemson University, for Greenville, and for South Carolina,” Barker said. “Proterra is an innovative, dynamic company that brings a new dimension to the CU-ICAR campus. Its product and processes fit the CU-ICAR curriculum and our program-driven campus perfectly. We look forward to a great partnership.”
Proterra anticipates that it will invest $68 million and create 1,300 new jobs over the next seven years in Greenville County. The company will require a variety of skilled workers to support functions, such as mechanical assembly, warehouse, logistics, management, engineering and quality assurance.
The Department of Commerce has approved Proterra for the Job Development Credits program, which is a performance-based incentive directly related to new job creation and new capital investment. Additionally, the department will make two grants to Greenville County totaling $3 million to assist with site preparation and infrastructure improvements for the project.
Proterra will lease 25 acres in CU-ICAR’s Technology Neighborhood Three to construct a 240,000-square-foot building initially, with potential expansion into the entire 50-acre site. Construction is expected to begin later this spring.
Information regarding Proterra is available online at www.proterraonline.com. For more information about CU-ICAR, visit www.cuicar.com.
Related Posts:
