search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
Building


OEM partnerships put charge in electric school buses


Written by Jim Romeo


the Next Generation of Transmissions & Drivetrains


W


hile some school districts and bus com- panies are already using electric and hybrid- electric school buses, more of those vehicles are likely to be coming in the future. That’s due to grants and other funding mechanisms that are helping to


mitigate their heftier and higher price tags. Obviously, their operating cost advantages and ze-


ro-emission attributes will continue to attract buyers and attention from school boards, parents and the press. They are quieter in operations and are more energy efficient, which helps to reduce overall operating costs and the im- pact on the environment. In fact, transmission and drivetrain vendors are con- solidating via industry acquisitions, joint ventures and


30 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2019


partnerships, to cut costs and prepare for the next wave of more efficient and green school buses.


The Electric Road Ahead The speed of adoption and purchase of electric buses


and hybrid-electric buses seems to lag that of heavy-du- ty trucks and public transit vehicles. But it is apparent that electric and hybrid-electric fleets are coming in greater numbers to school districts throughout North America. It’s just somewhat difficult to pinpoint when the market will develop significantly further—and by how much.


“The school bus industry power train technology rides


along the coat tails of the truck chassis engineering groups,” observed Robert T. Pudlewski, a consultant on


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52