The Advanced Transportation Technology Institute (ATTI) is a private nonprofit organization that advances clean transportation technologies to promote a healthy environment and energy independence through research, education and technology transfer. Founded in 1992 as the Electric Vehicle Transit Institute (ETVI), ATTI has introduced the concept of combining clean fuel with advanced technology to thousands of individuals and organizations throughout the United States.

From Beginning to End
From September 1996 to May 1998, ATTI (formerly ETVI) demonstrated electric bus technology in 11 cities in Tennessee. This unique project, funded by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration, gave city representatives, transit professionals and residents a unique opportunity to see the benefits of electric buses first-hand. The project was so successful that TDOT asked ATTI to develop a follow-up project using hybrid-electric buses.

The final conclusion? The most effective way to encourage the use of electricity as an alternative fuel is to dispel the myths that the vehicles cannot meet a transit system's operational demands. The TDOT demonstration project proved that the most effective way to expel these myths is to provide the potential customer with an opportunity to operate an electric vehicle on the "home turf."