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Plugging Along with EV Tech
Arcadia Weekly Jan 07, 2021
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By Brenda J. Trainor
Have you noticed that the buses that drive around in Duarte don’t belch out black clouds of crud, and that you don’t have to roll up your windows when driving behind them to avoid the stinky smell? That’s because those Foothill Transit vehicles are part of a fleet of zero-emission electric buses manufactured by Proterra right here in the San Gabriel Valley.
Proterra is one of many advanced technology manufacturers operating in this part of Los Angeles County and they bring greener technologies and the jobs that go with them to this region. Proterra’s Lauren Scoville will be speaking at the next MADIA Tech Launch meeting on Jan. 13, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. to share more about the company’s efforts to bring clean, quiet, and battery-operated transportation options to communities all over the country.
A bus is a pretty big thing to get plugged in and electric buses need different kinds of maintenance than traditional commercial vehicles. One of the challenges of building and maintaining new kinds of technologies is getting skilled workers with the necessary knowledge to make and support them. Proterra has worked with Citrus College to develop a special “Electric Bus Manufacturing Technology” training course. The course curriculum was designed collaboratively to have skilled workers ready and available to work in this growing field and specifically in our area for companies like Proterra. Scoville will be telling participants more about Proterra’s efforts to collaborate with their customers, educators, labor unions, and others who support the development of green tech and electric vehicles.
The public is invited to attend the online Zoom meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 13 that MADIA Tech Launch is hosting. The group will meet virtually at 6:30 p.m. for networking and introductions, then the program will begin at 7 p.m. Registration is free and available through MADIA Tech Launch’s website and its Eventbrite link. There is no cost to attend this meeting or to be a part of MADIA Tech Launch.
MADIA Tech Launch is a nonprofit organization that serves as a career, company, and industry incubator that regularly provides networking and educational events to the region’s technical, scientific, and industrial workforce. The region is centered within and surrounding the cities of Monrovia, Arcadia, Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa, and Glendora. Educational programs include entrepreneurship, business finance and operations, and technology development and commercialization.
