Necessarily Electrifying
modern transportation centers—either retrofitted or built from the ground up—cost big bucks. The recently enacted $1.5 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill will provide a $2.5 billion annual infusion of federal dollars each of the next five fiscal years for districts and contractors to pay for electric buses and the supporting systems they require. Even before the bill’s passage, Johnson took the step
of adding five electric buses to the district’s 130-bus fleet, after receiving a $1 million state grant to help offset costs. Those vehicles are scheduled to arrive in early 2022, the current supply shortage notwithstanding. The grant was paired with voter-approved local funds to purchase the buses and supporting infrastructure, which were expected to be in place by late October. But Johnson reported early last month that delivery of the chargers has been delayed and the electric buses are now not expected to arrive until the spring. Johnson came to Bethlehem CSD from Colleton School District in South Carolina, where propane is the preferred alternative fuel. He indicated that one challenge was “making the case to the community to justify the substantial price difference between electrical and diesel, and that we’re expecting operational savings from parts maintenance and over the life of the bus.” “Those are our general expectations, that we’ll see that
reduction to justify paying two to three times more than for a diesel bus,” he added. “In addition, there are the other added benefits of providing a clean environment for our children to be in.” Johnson’s enthusiasm about the future of electric buses is far from universal. Several fleet managers with brand-new transportation centers said they don’t foresee switching from conventional internal combustion
engine vehicles any time soon. For them, reasons for modernizing transportation centers range from serving larger student populations or areas to replacing facilities so outdated that mechanics were forced to work outdoors year-round. It was Joe Czub’s mechanics at Burnt Hills-Ballston
Lake Central School District north of Schenectady, New York, who often found themselves in the snow or rain because a bus couldn’t be put on the lift without hitting the ceiling. Located 29 miles north of Bethlehem CSD, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake CSD recently opened the doors to its new $7.65 million transportation center, to replace a 63-year-old, 10-bus facility that was servicing a fleet that had grown sevenfold. Czub, the transportation director, said he had looked
into the possibility of installing infrastructure for electric vehicles as the district’s new center was in the planning stage but joked, “My boss drives a Tesla and is a big fan of electric vehicles so, of course, I’m going to appease him.” He added, “I did all my homework. I’m not a fan of
electric buses. Not a fan.” For starters, Czub said, the local grid lacked the
capacity for the 100-amps-per-bus electrical load to charge 70 electric buses. Meanwhile, adding just few such vehicles would place new demands on mechanics without producing significant environmental benefits, he explained. While noting that electric buses “absolutely have their purpose,” he added, “Each of my runs is 20 to 25 miles and I’ve got 182 runs. When you put the whole package together—the range, upfront vehicle cost, battery replacement, the impact on the local grid—it’s too much.” Sadly, Czub died on Nov. 14 of injuries suffered in a
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