COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Public transportation in Cookeville is going electric.
Tennessee Tech engineers teamed up with the Upper Cumberland Human Resources Agency on a new, electric shuttle bus that's been three years in the making.
"It is the very first electric shuttle bus in rural transit agency in Tennessee and we're proud to make that happen," said Tennessee Tech Engineering Assoc. Professor Dr. Pingen Chen.
The shuttle is the latest push from Tech engineers and researchers to change perceptions about electric vehicles. While EVs are becoming more popular in urban areas, they're still rare in rural communities. Dr. Chen says a lot of that has to do with a lack of familiarity with the vehicles, as the spread of information can take longer to reach far-out areas.
But he says rural residents log a lot of miles and could benefit from skipping all those trips to the gas pump and the maintenance from wear and tear.
"It's very important for rural communities to adopt electric vehicles," said Dr. Chen, "so they can save money and use their limited resources to do other very, very important things."
Day-to-day, the new shuttle will move students and the larger community around town. While it does, researchers will study how electric public transportation can work in less populated towns.
"They're going to perform their services with it on Tennessee Tech's campus for first couple months, just to see how it works, get a feel for it, let drivers give feedback," said Tennessee Tech Research Assistant Max Lamantia. "After that it's going to be used throughout the Cookeville region as well."
Tech researchers will track how much electricity it uses, how often it needs to charge and how much it costs to operate. It's a case study they hope will serve as an example for rural areas across the south. The UCHRA owns the vehicle, with support from TDOT and the US Dept. of Transportation's Vehicle Technologies Office.
