Proterra Inc. (PTRA)

Company website 2020 Financial Report Stock Analysis

1000

Vehicles

sold as of April 2021

300

Megawatt-Hours

worth of batteries produced

Megawatts

worth of EV charging infrastructure installed as of April 2021

View Our Analysis

The Path to Drawdown: Electric Cars (EVs)

The electric vehicle (EV) prototype appeared in 1828, but being unable to surmount the challenge of building a lightweight, durable battery with adequate range meant that internal combustion engines have dominated the automotive and transport landscape since the 1920s.

Thanks to supportive policies and falling costs, today that landscape is changing. More than 1 million EVs now take to the roads. The difference in impact on the climate is remarkable. Compared to internal combustion vehicles, CO2 emissions drop by 50% if an EV’s power comes off the conventional grid. If powered by solar energy, emissions are cut by 95%. Once households purchase EVs, their operating costs are often cheaper than gas-based cars, too.

What once used to be a limitation for EVs - the question of how far the car can travel on a single charge - is now much less of a concern. The average range of a battery electric vehicle produced in 2020 is about 217.5 miles, up from 124 miles in 2015.

What’s making this increase in mileage possible is the continuing development in battery capacity. Global EV battery capacity is expected to increase from around 170 GWh per year today to 1.5 TWh per year in 2030. At the same time, the cost of batteries is falling as their production reaches greater scale.

To be on track to remain under 1.5ºC of warming, 100% of passenger cars and vans (p. 138) need to be running on electricity by 2050. This is a jump from 5% of cars and 0% of vans in 2020, respectively. Accomplishing this overhaul of the transportation landscape means EV production and ownership need to continue to expand over the next three decades:

<::marker> 11 million EV cars and vans were on the road in 2020
<::marker> 2 billion EV cars and vans (100% of total global sales) need to be on the road by 2050

This would require a CAGR of 18.94% from 2018-2050

About

Proterra Inc. (stock ticker: PTRA) designs and manufactures zero-emission electric transit vehicles. They offer energy services, including fleet planning, charging infrastructure, energy management, and charging infrastructure financing. They also provide battery technology; drivetrains; and powered vehicles like school buses, coach buses, shuttle buses, transit buses, and excavators. The company serves public and commercial transits, airports, universities, construction companies, and schools. Proterra Inc. was founded in 2004 and is based in Burlingame, California.

PTRA's Role in Drawdown

Proterra generates 100% of its revenue from building and selling electric vehicles, including electric buses used in mass transit. Their business is built around their high-performance batteries, drivetrain, high voltage systems and components for heavy-duty applications.

They operate in three business segments. The Proterra Powered segment delivers battery systems and electrification solutions to commercial vehicle manufacturers. The Proterra Transit segment is one of America's largest electric transit bus manufacturers. The Proterra Energy segment offers fleet charging and energy management solutions.

Through all three of their segments, Proterra is pushing the world toward the goal of an electrified, zero-emissions transportation.

PTRA: What We Like

We'll update this section once Proterra makes sustainability information available.

What We Want to See Improve

Disclose Sustainability Metrics

Proterra's parent company ArcArcLight Clean Transition Corp. reports (p. 1) that they intend to pursue opportunities created by the accelerating transition toward sustainable use of energy and natural resources. Yet Proterra has yet to disclose their sustainability metrics or other climate-related information. We urge Proterra to publish an annual sustainability report with clear metrics on their GHG emissions, emissions avoided, and sources of energy use.

Enhance Supplier Transparency

Proterra provides virtually no information on their suppliers. We want to see this change. Proterra's executives should include detailed information who their suppliers are and where they're located so that investors can accurately assess their supply chain.

Set Emissions Reduction Targets

Once sustainability metrics are disclosed, we'd like to see Proterra set bold targets for reducing their GHG emissions. These targets should be science-based, in line with the global goal to remain under 1.5°C below pre-industrial levels, and oriented toward a specific timeframe, like 2030 and 2050.

Related Electric Car Stocks in the Climate Index

View All Climate Index Stocks →

Allocated	Company	Description
5.00%	Tesla Motors, Inc. (TSLA)	Tesla Motors makes EVs, battery energy storage, solar panels and solar roof tiles. They’ve done the most to make EVs cool
4.12%	Nio Inc. (NIO)	Nio Inc. makes EVs and integrate self-driving systems in EVs. They’re helping to electrify the transport system
2.55%	XPeng Inc. (XPEV)	XPeng makes electric passenger cars and SUVs with a long range and autonomous driving capabilities. They’re helping electrify transport
0.69%	Lennox International (LII)	Lennox makes high-efficiency heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration products, helping building managers cut energy use and emissions
0.66%	Arrival (ARVL)	Arrival makes commercial electric vans and buses through an innovative and efficient manufacturing process. They’re helping electrify transportation
0.30%	Fisker Inc. (FSR)	Fisker makes luxury and high-end electric cars and SUVs with a long range. They’re pushing the electrification of transportation
0.17%	The Lion Electric Company (LEV)	LEV makes electric trucks, school buses and minibuses in North America. They also make batteries and EV charging infrastructure, all key Drawdown solutions
0.16%	Proterra Inc. (PTRA)	Proterra offers electric transit buses, EV batteries and energy storage, as well as EV charging solutions - all key to electrifying transportation
0.12%	Canoo Inc. (GOEV)	Canoo makes a range of electric vehicles designed for families and commercial uses. They’re helping electrify transportation
0.05%	XL Fleet Corp. (XL)	XL Fleet makes hybrid and electric systems so that leading automakers can make more low and zero-emission vehicles
0.03%	Arcimoto, Inc. (FUV)	Arcimoto makes ultra-efficient, fun, pure electric vehicles for passenger transportation. They’re helping electrify transportation.
0.03%	Lightning eMotors, Inc. (ZEV)	Lightning eMotors makes electric commercial vehicles and charging solutions for those vehicles. They're helping electrify transportation
0.02%	Ayro, Inc. (AYRO)	Ayro makes EVs designed for narrow paths, college campus walkways, and last-mile delivery. EVs are key in electrifying transportation
0.02%	GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (GP)	GP makes electric commercial vehicles for delivery, public transit, schools, micro-transit, and shuttles. They’re helping electrify transportation
0.02%	Jiuzi Holdings, Inc. (JZXN)	Jiuzi Holdings and their subsidiaries make EVs for the Chinese market. They’re helping electrify transportation