W
hen it comes to operat- ing electric school buses, three-quarters of magazine readers responding to a
recent survey said their current facilities do not have enough space to operate electric school buses and the necessary charging infrastructure. Grossmont Union High School District in
San Diego, California had a similar experience until last year, when the finishing touches were made on a near $24 million facility that spans over 32,000 square feet to replace the former garage that dated back to 1935. The district required no additional local taxes to pay for the upgrades, instead it used redevel- opment money and special financing. “It’s phenomenal,” commented Director
of Transportation C.J. Rasure. “In the 40- plus years I’ve been in either the military or the private sector—I worked for a power company, San Diego Gas & Electric—I mean, this is state of the art. I don’t think there’s anything better in Southern California.” The facility fully opened in time for the
start of the 2022-2023 school year, though Rasure and his staff moved into the new building the previous January from their old quarters in portable trailers. The fleet of 68 total school buses, 43 of which operate primarily special needs routes, followed in April 2022. The facility was formally com- pleted last August after all the solar panels and the chargers were installed. SDG&E, the local utility, offset the school
district’s infrastructure buildout costs by 80 percent and provided a 50-percent rebate for the first 17 electric school buses deployed last year. It’s phase one of Gross- mont’s fleet electrification project. Rasure said the next seven electric school buses are expected later this year. Meanwhile, electric charging infra-
One of the new vehicle bays at Grossmont Union High School District near San Diego, California. It was all made possible by a $24 million investment to construct the new facility that replaces the old one from 1935.
structure provider Engie entered a 28-year purchasing agreement with the district to install the solar power generation to complement the off-peak charging on the SDG&E grid. Rasure said the facility upgrade consists of installing the first 10 chargers and a total of 28 charging spots over the next several months. Additionally, Grossmont operates another
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