Officials for the town of Westport, Connecticut, say that the massive battery fire that destroyed an electric CTtransit bus has not deterred the town from continuing its efforts to expand its electric vehicle fleet.
CT Insider reports that the town of Westport, Connecticut, has the highest number of electric vehicles per capita, with 890 electric vehicles registered in the town by the end of 2021. The town is transitioning its fleet to electric vehicles, something which officials say is still planned despite the recent CTtransit electric bus fire.
Breitbart News reported in July that just one day after officials promoted the passage of the Connecticut Clean Air Act, one of the state-run electric buses burst into a massive inferno. The CTtransit bus caught on fire in a Hamden parking lot on Saturday morning and resulted in two workers and a firefighter being sent to the hospital.
Hamden fire officials said: “Lithium ion battery fires are difficult to extinguish due to the thermal chemical process that produces great heat and continually reignites.” Two transit workers were hospitalized as a precaution after being exposed to the smoke and a firefighter was taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation but some Republicans have been calling for a moratorium on the transition from diesel to electric buses. First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker commented: “We continue to prioritize electrifying our town fleet where it makes sense.”
The electric bus fleet was replaced with traditional and reliable diesel buses while the cause of the battery fire was investigated.
Westport’s police department currently has five hybrid vehicles and two electric Teslas in its fleet, according to Information Services Officer Charles Sampson. The department also plans to add a 2022 Tesla to its patrol. “Electric vehicles will probably be a norm around here for most of our fleet, shortly,” Sampson said.
Read more at CT Insider here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan