electric buses cost half as much as diesel buses to maintain. “In addition to providing a transportation solution with zero tailpipe emissions, battery-electric vehicles offer greater efficiency with fuel cost savings as well as lower maintenance and operating costs,” said Jason Sparkman, national sales and marketing manager for Daimler Truck Financial. While districts traditionally hesi-
tated to take on debt, proponents of financing argue financing reduces the maintenance costs that grow with a vehicle’s age. “By converting an annual ac-
quisition payment into a finance payment, districts can significant- ly lower the average age of their fleet, reduce maintenance costs and spare parts inventory, as well as spare bus inventory,” Sparkman explained. “Depending on the age and size of the fleet, maintenance and fuel savings alone can often result in hundreds of thousands in savings annually.” Many school districts want to test
the waters before committing to overhaul the bus depot or take on six-figure debts. Fortunately, state and federal governments offer grants and financial incentives to help offset the costs of electrification. As of March, the World Resourc-
es Institute tracked $87 million in Volkswagen settlement funds going to electric buses, making up about a third of state funding for the school bus electrification. Federal money may be available through federal grants from the EPA Diesel Emissions Reductions Act (DERA), the Congestion Mitiga- tion and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Nationwide, the organi- zation tracked 19 vehicle-to-grid pilots in 14 states. “Grants are good for pilot proj-
ects,” said Mary Lunetta, senior campaign representative for the
Sierra Club’s 100 Percent Clean En- ergy School Districts initiative. “The kind of grants that we see at
the state level are, we’ll get you set up maybe some charging infra- structure to test the waters kind of a thing, to get familiar with the technology and understand how to learn from it and collect your own research and data,” Lunetta said. In April, Democrat lawmakers
introduced a $25 billion proposal following the Biden-Harris Admin- istration’s Infrastructure Plan goal of electrifying nearly half a million school buses nationwide. Thanks to a U.S. Department of
Energy grant, Blue Bird modernized its electric bus design in 2018. Blue Bird introduced the first electric school bus in 1994, which were used as shuttle buses during the Atlanta Summer Olympics, then stopped manufacturing them for more than two decades. Today, about 3 percent of Blue
Bird’s annual sales are electric, but the company anticipates passing the 50-percent mark by 2030. “Not all markets today have viable funding to offset some of the upfront costs,” said Albert Burleigh, regional executive director for Blue Bird’s Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. “School budgets are tight, and you’re spend- ing considerably more for electric buses, even though the operational costs are much, much better.” Nevertheless, Burleigh said, “A lot of the grant funds offset those upfront costs and pay the difference between a diesel bus and electric bus.” With the funds to make the dream
a reality, many districts are embrac- ing the concept of a green fleet. “I believe these next 36 months
are going to transform the mar- ket,” Farquer in Illinois said. “We’ve always looked at school buses as ‘these are just the yellow buses that transport our kids around.’ When you electrify, you have an opportu- nity for that asset to become more than just a school bus, it becomes an energy asset.” ●
WE REALLY DO MEAN
FULL SERVICE
With radiators, DPFs, EGRs and more than 30,000 exhaust parts, it’s no wonder Auto-jet is the choice of school bus systems coast to coast.
John Rapp President
AUTO-JET.COM 800-247-5391
www.stnonline.com 29
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