Left to Right- Alan Ballew (CCFI), Dale Hill (Proterra), Jeff Granato (Proterra),  United States Secretary  of Transportation - Ray LaHood, Stephen Navarro (CCFI), Bharat Dave (Proterra), United States Federal Transit Administrator- Peter Rogoff, Marc Gottschalk (Proterra) 

On January 27, 2011, Ray LaHood, the United States Secretary of Transportation made a special visit to Proterra’s temporary factory in Greenville, SC from Washington D.C. to show his support for the company and the technology.  He was accompanied by the Federal Transit Authority Administrator, Peter Rogoff.

LaHood, said his visit with, administrator, would likely boost Proterra’s profile with U.S. transit agencies that are potential buyers of its zero-emissions buses.

“My presence here,  is an endorsement of what’s going on here. And almost every transit district in the country we have a relationship with. And when they see me standing in front of one of these clean buses with the FTA administrator, that’s a pretty good message.” 

Jeff Granato, the chief executive of Proterra said the company is negotiating with potential buyers in Paraguay, Brazil, France, Turkey and Canada as well as dozens of transit authorities in the United States. Granato said he hopes to break ground in April on a 220,000-square-foot, $33 million permanent plant at Clemson University International Automotive Research Campus, which is expected to employ 1,300 people over time.

To read Secretary LaHoods Whitehouse Blog about this visit, click here.

For additional press information about this visit, click here.

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