Electric school buses currently make up a small portion of the overall fleet — 2,400 were ordered and there are approximately 500,000 school buses in the U.S. — but government funding could quickly increase that percentage.
The Environmental Protection Agency will provide $5 billion from 2022 to 2026 to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models as part of the organization’s Clean School Bus (CSB) Program. In the program’s initial funding opportunity, the 2022 CSB Rebates, the EPA received applications for zero-emission and low-emission school buses and awarded up to $965 million to fund school bus replacements at approximately 400 schools.
Additionally, the EPA launched a competitive grant funding program in the spring and plans to award at least $400 million under the 2023 CSB Grants Program Notice of Funding Opportunity. The agency also expects to award at least $500 million in funding under the 2023 rebate program.
With such significant financial incentives being offered, it’s hard to imagine companies not wanting to at least attempt moving toward the EV trend. So far, that seems to be the case, Car and Driver reports. In May, a number of companies expressed their interest at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Anaheim, CA.
Blue Bird, BYD and Lion Electric all had battery-powered buses on display at show, as did the GreenPower Motor Company. Meanwhile, Ford announced it would begin to take orders for a new school bus upfit kit that works with the all-electric E-Transit model.
Ford’s model provides approximately 120 miles of range, with a potential option for a 180-mile extended range model. Either version would more than cover the 74 miles the average school bus travels a day, but also have enough range to work in rural areas, Christian Kreipke, Ford Pro brand manager for vans, told Car and Driver.
The benefits of electric school buses
Strain on the power grid has been one of the biggest concerns about electric vehicles. However, electric school buses could have the opposite effect, according to Lightning eMotors vice president of marketing and sales operations, Nick Bettis. Vehicle-to-grid technology would allow electric school buses to charge on low-cost energy in the evenings when they’re likely not in use. Meanwhile, they could also put some of that energy back into the grid while they are parked during the school day to help meet a town’s power grid demand.
A California E-Bus to Grid Integration Project with electric transit buses ran from 2017 to 2021. It found that reliable technology to make vehicle-to-grid wasn’t available yet, but simulations showed once it was operational, bus owners would see “positive value” in terms of utility costs.
Speaking of costs, the financial component is often another big concern surrounding the shift to EVs. For school buses however, the previously mentioned government funding can help school districts avoid the hefty price tag that often comes with purchasing EVs.
“If you can get $60,000 for this bus, for example, in California, and another $40,000 from the Inflation Reduction ACT, you're looking at $100,000 off a $225,000 bus,” Bettis told Car and Driver. “You can get down pretty close to price parity just with those two things. And there's no shortage of any of that money.”
“Batteries on Wheels”
Maryland's Montgomery County currently has the largest fleet of electric school buses in the U.S. The county also looks to use the vehicles as batteries that would send power back the county’s gride to ease peak demand and help the clean energy transition, Context reports. The large county is also working to increase its current fleet of 86 electric school buses to 14,000 within a decade.
Electric buses are just the start, however. Montgomery County is also adding rows of chargers at school district facilities, which can recharge a bus battery in hours and send energy back to the power grid when necessary.
"If eventually you can get that massive idle power source to feed back into the grid, it’s phenomenal on the revenue side for whoever owns these buses, and it's great for folks that lost their power,” Gregory J. Salois, director of the Montgomery County Public Schools Department of Transportation told Context.
This potential solution would be key to facilitating the green energy transition, according to operators and analysts. These chargers could also help boost “local-level resilience” by backing up grids, hospitals, community centers and even homes. The vehicle-to-grid charging concept could help level out electricity usage peaks. When power usage goes up, utilities typially keep fossil fuel power stations to ready to go compensate for any gaps.
Michael C. Austin, lead technician with the Montgomery school transport department compared the idea to a water tower. Water is pumped up so it’s available when it’s needed later.
“The (vehicle-to-grid) idea is that this is a giant tower of electricity,” Austin told Context.
Helping EV fleet operators get onboard
School buses, like other commercial fleets, look to be an ideal fit to transition to electric. These vehicles typically run consistent routes, have off-hour parking and don’t cost as much to drive and maintain. But even if or when commercial fleet operators decide to move to EVs, many will need help managing their new set of buses or trucks.
Companies like Synop are geared to help operators answer the many questions they have about this new frontier. Many of these questions revolve around electric vehicle maintenance—how to operate them, where they need to be stored, charging times, ranges and more.
“The electrification of transportation is a massive undertaking, especially with companies operating large fleets,” said Andrew Beebe, managing director at Obvious Ventures, which funded Synop told TechCrunch. “Synop is addressing the biggest, hidden infrastructural barriers for companies looking to make and manage that transition seamlessly.”
Beverly, MA-based Highland, an electric school bus fleet provider, uses Synop’s services. The company provides bus fleets through a subscription model. Membership includes a charging infrastructure, maintenance and operating electricity.
“Highland’s mission is to make electric fleets accessible and affordable for all,” the company’s website said. “That’s why we offer school districts, municipalities, and fleet managers the simplest and most affordable way to electrify your school buses.”
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