CHAPTER 10
Key Findings and Conclusions

Many transit agencies have adopted ZEVs into their revenue fleets. This has occurred mostly with standard buses, but the numbers of other types of ZEVs, including smaller vehicles, articulated buses, and over-the-road buses, have also increased since 2012. It is estimated that there were a total of 5,480 ZEBs, including BEBs and FCBs, in some stage of adoption in 2022, an increase of 66% from 3,297 in 2021. Whether the proliferation of ZEVs in public transit continues at this rate depends on many factors. Regardless, the large number of transit agencies that have already purchased ZEBs necessitates consideration of the workforce responsible for safely operating and maintaining these vehicles.

The growing number of ZEVs and the complexity of the technology require a new set of technical skills to maintain transit vehicles and related electrical and electronic equipment. The literature establishes that ZEV maintenance job tasks and associated training needs differ significantly from those associated with internal combustion engines, with the exception of hybrid-electric buses, where some aspects of the electric propulsion technology are similar. With the adoption of these new technologies, many incumbent workers, including older workers with less experience in electric/electronic technology, may lack the skills necessary to operate and maintain ZEVs. Training to impart new knowledge and skills to technicians, therefore, becomes integral to the success and safety of ZEV fleets.

This research project identified seven essential tasks needed to develop a workforce to safely operate and maintain ZEVs.

• Identify needed ZEV skills. Before any training can take place, the skills needed to maintain high-voltage applications and advanced electronic control and data communication systems found in modern ZEVs must first be determined.
• Assess workforce readiness. Assessing the skills of each worker allows training to be targeted to build deficient skills, resulting in a training program that is both efficient and effective.
• Develop systematic process for building skills. The task of developing an overall process or framework to establish a training program to teach ZEV skills to a transit agencyʼs workforce will require dedication, effort, and time. Regardless, the task is essential and must be carried out to ensure the safe operation and maintenance of ZEVs.
• Cultivate OEM support. OEMs are an essential source for ZEV training. Despite some shortfalls with this strategy, building strong relationships with OEMs can prove beneficial in obtaining the bulk of the ZEV training needed.
• Establish training resources and capacity. Although most transit agencies obtain ZEV training from OEMs, OEMs cannot be expected to meet the full training demands. As a result, transit agencies must also provide training themselves or seek third-party sources to develop ZEV-related skills.

• Build foundational electrical skills. Many transit agency technicians lack knowledge of, or confidence in, diagnostic theory and electric/electronic systems. Before high-voltage skills can be acquired, technicians first need foundational electric/electronic skills, which adds yet another level of technical training.
• Recruit and retain workforce to operate and maintain ZEVs. Because transit ZEVs are unique, and the overall pool of operators and technicians is small, it is imperative that transit agencies initiate aggressive efforts to recruit and retain their workforce.

For each of these seven tasks, a substantial number of approaches and resources were identified as useful to transit agencies. These approaches and resources are accompanied by examples of how transit agencies have employed them. In addition, the following cross-cutting findings and overarching themes emerged:

• Due to the safety concerns of working on or near high-voltage electric vehicles, greater emphasis needs to be placed on safety training, refresher training, and effective coordination with first responders and firefighters.
• Learning objectives contained in the APTA Zero-Emission Bus Maintenance Training Recommended Practice can serve as a checklist for the development of ZEV training materials when purchasing ZEV training in the vehicle procurement process or when specifying ZEV training from a third-party vendor or training institution. Use of this checklist will help ensure that all pertinent information is included in training.
• The need for more ZEV-trained staff is reinforced by the survey results, which showed that many transit agencies with ZEVs in service or with plans to purchase ZEVs do not have vehicle operators or technicians on staff with relevant ZEV skills. Nearly half of survey respondents reported that their transit agency had not initiated or completed any zero-emission training for the workforce.
• Many transit technicians lack the basic electrical/electronic skills required as an essential foundation for undertaking more advanced high-voltage ZEV maintenance work.
• Although a skills-gap analysis is a key strategy identified through this research, few transit agencies have performed a skills-gap analysis of their workforce to determine individual worker shortfalls so that training can be directed to fill the gaps.
• Transit agencies are generally not aware of the full range of training resources available to them.
• Although most transit agencies procure ZEV training when purchasing vehicles, the reliance on OEM training does not tend to be ongoing after ZEV deployment or when new employees are brought in, nor is the training standardized. The transit industry would benefit from improved OEM training delivery and materials.
• One way to increase the return on investment of ZEV training is to procure TtT programs. Doing so allows subsequent training to be completed by in-house trainers, which gives transit agencies greater training delivery flexibility.
• The fact that three ZEV OEMs have recently left the American transit bus market may affect a transit agencyʼs ability to obtain OEM training.
• Involving frontline workers in defining the training requirements in ZEV procurements can contribute to more effective training.
• Although some transit agencies recruit workers with existing skills, the most common method transit agencies use to ensure they have ZEV-skilled staff involves training existing staff. Career ladder/career progression programs have helped transit agencies retain ZEV-qualified technicians.

The case studies and case profiles included in Appendix B, focus group summaries included in Appendix C, and industry survey included in Appendix D provide additional detail on what has been discussed in the main body of the report. Together, the information provided in this

report can help transit agencies safely and effectively develop their workforce to operate and maintain ZEVs. However, the findings of this project indicate the need for additional research that would provide guidance for transit agencies, OEMs, and other partners, including guidance on:

• Establishing a central depository for accessing the full range of available ZEV resources,
• Establishing nationally accepted procedures to qualify/certify the ZEV workforce,
• Providing standardized training on foundational electrical skills as a prerequisite for ZEV training, and
• Standardizing and improving ZEV training across OEMs.