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New electric buses are coming to Breckenridge

Breckenridge will be the first Colorado mountain town to use an electric bus for an extended amount of time.

BRECKENRIDGE - At Breckenridge Public Works, Rikki Dreesman is taking out a bus so new, the stickers are just getting put on.

"It’s very smooth,” said Dreesman.

The bus has all the important people from the area, like Breckenridge Mayor Eric Mamula, standing around to ride it.

"Yes, it’s a big deal,” said Mamula.

The town is rolling out a battery-powered electric bus, the first of two the town is getting.

Breckenridge will be the first Colorado mountain town to use an electric bus for an extended amount of time.

“First step, and it will go quickly from here on out,”’ said Mamula.

The town will test the bus for a month, then it hopes to make their entire fleet electric down the road.

“This is the future of what our town will do for transit,” said Mamula.

The bus is expected to have a 120 to 170-mile range, which should last a full day. When compared to a regular bus it’s a lot quieter, and unlike the big diesel tailpipes, its battery power has zero emissions.

“I love it,” said Dreesman, who’s electrified to be the first to take that battery bus for a spin around the block. “It has that clean new bus smell.”

The upfront cost of the buses is a factor. A regular bus costs around $400,000 to $500,000 while the electric buses run about $800,000.

However, the new buses won’t need diesel fuel or as much maintenance and can have their batteries swapped out.

Vail has also been considering these buses and Park City in Utah is rolling out a few too.

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