School bus inspection training program participants at STN EXPO Reno on July 13, 2024 discuss the drivetrain and components of a Blue Bird All American electric school bus owned by host Washoe County School District.
since the beginning of its electric vehicle program, said company President Britton Smith. With this approach, a motor is separately mounted to the chassis, connected to a drive shaft (also called a prop shaft), and then con- nected to a solid axle. “This drive system has proved extremely reliable in the
field, with minimal maintenance requirements,” Smith said. “Additionally, it provides the high torque required in a school bus application and has received positive feedback from drivers and fleet managers alike.” At Lion Electric, to date the use of e-axles has been
limited to trucks. The company’s two school bus models, the LionC and LionD, feature a direct drive with SUMO MD/Dana TM4 motor and invertor. “We’re always looking ahead and may well integrate the e-axles one day,” said Patrick Gervais, VP of trucks and public affairs. “But right now we have a recipe that works really well for school buses.” Meanwhile, Micro Bird by Girardin announced the new Micro Bird G5e last month at STN EXPO Reno. The electric Type A school bus goes into production in January with customer delivery scheduled for March. It features an Ecotuned drivetrain powered by a lithium iron phosphate battery and equipped with a 250 kW trac- tion motor and an integrated single speed reducer. Marc
30 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2024
Gravel, GM of Ecotuned, said a single speed rather than using two, three or four speeds allows for a 25 percent gradability and improved startability. It comes in two options, 140 kWh or 175 kWh power capacity for up to 200 miles of range. For IC Bus, current specs for the Next Generation Elec-
tric CE Series are front axle Meritor and rear axle Dana Spicer. STN reached out to Navistar for comment, but a company representative said a response would not be available before the magazine went to print.
Multiple Battery Options Just as readiness to embrace electric axles varies, views
on the optimum battery for school buses differ. Currently the most popular choices for school buses are lithium-ion (Li-ion) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP or LiFePO4). The advantages of LFP batteries include longer life than Li-ion batteries and, of particular interest to student transporters, greater safety potential since they don’t overheat and cause fires. At the same time, LFP batteries tend to take up more space due to their lower energy density, necessitating larger units to achieve the same output as corresponding Li-ion batteries. But RIDE’s LFP blade technology promises reduced space by 50 percent. Girardin selected an LFP battery for its new Micro Bird
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