SPECIAL REPORT
charging software, to name a few. “It really took that long for everyone to settle on and come to an agreement on how the contract would look,” Johnson explained. He added that Highland is not
purchasing the buses, like it does for other school district customers, so Charlotte-Mecklenburg retains own- ership if the contract is not renewed. The first of the district’s three elec-
tric buses ordered was delivered last month. But charging infrastructure was not completed, at this report, with a portable charger used for the time being. Two more buses will arrive by June, and the infrastructure is expect- ed to be completed in July. All three buses are expected to run routes on the first day of school in August. Charlotte-Mecklenburg received grant funding for the first three
buses, offset by a district investment. However, the district was also just awarded 27 additional buses by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean School Bus Program grant, and the state will be making up the cost differences on those buses. “Highland will still be responsible
for maintenance and then there’s a performance contract,” Johnson added, explaining that the contract promises a charged bus to run every day. “So [if a bus does] not run, and we have to use a spare bus, we get reimbursed for the use of one of our spare buses in order to run the route because the electric bus is not avail- able and not working.” Additionally, Highland covers the
electric bill, the charging software, and all infrastructure costs. Johnson added that because of his district size (1,100 school buses), there’s going to be savings going with a third-party for its electric needs, especially up front in terms of the infrastructure. He noted that the size of the district
We are committed to moving the industry toward a greener future, and positively
impacting the health of our passengers and the planet through electric fleet initiatives.
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was one of the reasons for contract- ing with Highland. “We have so many moving parts that taking on that level of construction and logistics of getting everything in place to make it successful. As well as the funding you would really need to kind of plan forward to have a large deployment of electric buses,” he shared. “It just really was not something that the district could sustain. So that kind of a solution where Highland is offering essentially a turnkey product, defi- nitely was of interest to us.” The district is a mixed fleet of
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propane and diesel, but Johnson said he’s looking forward to seeing how the EVs perform. “I really want to see how these first three work and how Highland supports the buses and certainly how the vendors support the buses,” he said, adding that he’s also looking forward to the next 27 buses arriving next year. “If it is success- ful, I certainly see that as a benefit to a cleaner bus and hopefully, less maintenance for technicians but certainly a cleaner bus for the drivers and students.” ●
20 School Transportation News • APRIL 2024
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