Proterra Bus/Phoenix Motorcars Safety Recall [Risk of Fire] Does this include @mcps @mocoboe Electric School Buses?

MCPS electric school buses have a Proterra engine.  IF Montgomery County had a public school system with an open and transparent Board of Education and Superintendent, parents and school bus drivers would immediately know if any of the MCPS electric school buses are impacted by this safety recall. 

But this is Montgomery County, so don't hold your breath.  

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Background: On September 5, 2024, Phoenix informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a safety defect affecting Proterra 800V Catalyst (Model Year 2019-2021) and Proterra ZX5 (Model Year 2020-2022) transit buses with a certain electrical and software architecture and of their intent to recall the affected vehicles (NHTSA Recall No.: 24V-655). These buses were produced between December 14, 2019 - November 8, 2021, and July 21, 2020 - January 31, 2023, respectively.

According to the information provided by Phoenix to NHTSA, the electrical connectors and terminals at one rooftop passthrough at issue in this recall are toward the maximum current limit that the terminals are rated for, with radiator fans running at 100 percent speed. Over time and with higher ambient temperatures, this circuit design can result in excessive heat at the terminals and, eventually, the melting of “wedge locks,” which could result in a thermal event, increasing the risk of a fire. Software updates were previously released as a technical service bulletin, and Phoenix will redeploy this bulletin as the recall remedy. Per Phoenix, the update will limit the radiator fan speed to 80 percent, which reduces the load of each fan by approximately 46 percent and reduces the temperature at each terminal by approximately 71 percent above ambient without degrading performance of the cooling system. Phoenix will provide this software remedy free of charge to owners of vehicles within the recall population. Version 4.10.2 or above contains the remedy, and this version can be referenced on the vehicle's dashboard...

FTA Safety Advisory 24-1 Proterra Bus Phoenix Motorcars Safety Recall (dot.gov)

Proterra Engines in use in MCPS Electric School Buses

The specifications for the first round of electric school buses in use in Montgomery County Public Schools shows that the buses were to have PROTERRA engines.  

BREAKING: @mcps @mocoboe Electric Bus Contractor for Charging Stations Proterra Stuns Investors With Surprise Bankruptcy Filing - Sell

Proterra: Stuns Investors With Surprise Bankruptcy Filing - Sell

Summary

• After the close of Monday's session, battery systems and electric transit bus manufacturer Proterra Inc. stunned investors with a bankruptcy filing out of left field.
• Following the successful restructuring of the company's convertible notes earlier this year, the move comes as a surprise.
• Apparently, the company is looking to separate the legacy transit bus operations from the battery and charging solutions segment ("Proterra Powered & Energy") and pursue a recapitalization or sale.
• Regardless of the company pursuing a recapitalization or a sale, a recovery for existing equity holders looks highly unlikely at this point.
• Considering the very real risk of a wipeout, I would advise existing shareholders to sell existing positions and move on.

Proterra: Stuns Investors With Surprise Bankruptcy Filing - Sell (NASDAQ:PTRA) | Seeking Alpha

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Proterra Press Release

...Under the agreement, Highland and its project partners, including Thomas Built Buses, Proterra, and Annapolis-based American Bus, will electrify all five of MCPS’ bus depots, supplying the electric school buses and charging infrastructure along with services including managed charging. Highland will purchase buses manufactured in North Carolina by Thomas Built Buses, which will be supplied and serviced by American Bus. Both companies have been long-time trusted suppliers and partners for the MCPS Department of Transportation. Designed, engineered, and manufactured in the United States by Thomas Built Buses, the all-electric Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley school bus is powered by Proterra’s electric vehicle technology platform. The Jouley couples 226 kWh of total energy capacity with a Proterra Powered drivetrain to offer an industry-leading operating range of up to 135 miles on a single charge to meet the needs of school bus fleets...

 Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland: Under the agreement, Highland and its project partners... will electrify all five of MCPS’ bus depots [Even the Shady Grove Depot that is supposed to move one day?] (parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com)

MCPS is spending millions on electric buses, but only 7 are on the road. 7News asks why

ROCKVILLE, Md. (7News) — Montgomery County Public Schools has 24 new electric buses. Highland Electric Fleets delivered the buses starting in December of 2021, but 7News wants to know why four months later, only seven buses are out on the road transporting students?..

...The Parent's Coalition of Montgomery County, a local watchdog group, said Highland gave the State of Maryland an operational start date of August 2021 when it applied for an $817,000 grant to help pay for 19 of the district's buses. The Coalition points out some electric buses have had issues in other states....

https://wjla.com/features/i-team/school-bus-electric-buses-montgomery-county-public-schools-maryland-joe-biden-administration-mcps-highland-electric-fleets-transportation-fuel-epa-gas