Close Authorship City of Charlotte, North Carolina, residents can breathe easier knowing soon that the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) transit buses covering the region will become all electric, supported by a first-in-the-nation energy modeling and financing partnership with Duke Energy via subsidiary eTransEnergy. Under the leadership of Mayor Vi Lyles, City Manager Marcus Jones and CATS Chief Executive Officer John Lewis, Charlotte and city council have taken an important step toward reaching the city’s ambitious climate action goals by approving a 12- to 18 month pilot program set to test 18 battery electric buses of varying manufacturers, a first step to finding the most suitable vehicle for the city’s full transition to battery electric buses. Charlotte City Council voted overwhelmingly to approve the pilot program Monday.