Independent Mail

Thursday, February 4, 2010

GREENVILLE — A lot of jobs are on board with Proterra Inc. which is bringing its revolutionary clean-energy research to the Upstate.

Proterra officials said they anticipate investing $68 million and creating more than 1,300 new jobs over the next seven years in Greenville County. The company will hire a variety of skilled workers to support functions ranging from mechanical assembly, warehouse, logistics, managerial, engineering and quality assurance.

Proterra plans to build its BE-35 fast-charge battery-electric transit bus at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) campus just off Interstate 85.

At a ceremony Thursday, Gov. Mark Sanford, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. Jim DeMint, Rep. Bob Inglis, Mayor Knox White, Greenville County Council Chairman H. G. “Butch” Kirven Jr., Clemson University President James Barker, the South Carolina Department of Commerce and the South Carolina Research Authority joined Proterra in making the announcement.

“We are very excited to pursue the next stage of Proterra’s manufacturing and development in Greenville,” said Jeff Granato, CEO of Proterra Inc. “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.”

After a nationwide search involving some 30 states, Proterra selected Greenville as a result of the state’s numerous benefits in terms of workforce capabilities and research and development support.

Proterra will lease 25 acres in Technology Neighborhood Three on the CU-ICAR campus to construct a 240,000-square-foot building, with the potential to expand into the entire 50-acre site. Construction is expected to begin in the spring.

“Proterra's decision to put down roots in South Carolina represents not only a significant investment and new job opportunities, but also another step toward expanding our state's role in the growing market of next-generation clean technologies,” said Gov. Sanford. “I’d offer the state's appreciation to Secretary Joe Taylor and his team at Commerce along with all our economic development partners at the state and local levels for their combined efforts to make our state that much more competitive in this global economy.”

Proterra’s first vehicle, a battery dominant fuel cell hybrid transit bus funded by the Federal Transit Administration, is in service in Columbia, S.C. Proterra is headquartered in Golden, Colo., at the Coors Technology Center.

Its BE-35 fast charge battery electric transit bus has been tested at the Federal Transit Administration’s Altoona Center as achieving between 17 and 21 miles per gallon (diesel equivalent), a roughly 500 percent improvement over conventional diesel buses.

“This is exciting news for Clemson University, for Greenville and for South Carolina,” Clemson University President 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.”

“Not unlike the recent Boeing 787 announcement, this is another example of South Carolina leading in the green economy,” said Sen. Graham. “The bus that Proterra is going to build in Greenville will not only be good for the environment, but it will help this nation break our dependency on foreign oil.”