percent larger, so they have more space between buses. There’s so much natural light, a very modern exhaust system and they’re impressed,” Burd said. “They want to work there.” The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake facility also
features plenty of natural light through skylights and garage doors. Other upgrades include automated, LED lighting; a bulk, centralized lubrication station that reduces waste; heated floors; and an air filtering system with exhaust evacuation outlets installed in the floors. Inventory is tracked via a wireless digital system, and each mechanic keeps maintenance records on their own laptop. Dividers create separate breakrooms for drivers and mechanics and a state-certified training room. When opened, the single room is large enough for more than 125 people. In Delmar, New York, Johnson views Bethlehem Central School District’s five-electric vehicle purchase as a combination test run and start of a new era, which he said is inevitable. “Since [electric] is new, there is going to be
some trial and error with it, but moving forward with five and the infrastructure project is a commitment that we are going to do this. The biggest factor in how fast or slow we move will be based on the available funding. If the grant funding continues, we can move faster,” he said. While the local utility is equipped to
accommodate the first wave of electric vehicles, it will need to perform some network upgrades through cost sharing with the district going forward. And there is plenty of infrastructure work that needs to be done to ensure school districts can bring electric buses into their fleets. “Once we get past the five, the conversation is,
how do we prepare our site for up to somewhere near 50 percent of our fleet?” he said. “From our perspective, we’re very excited. The stakeholders, the staff and myself, we’re ready to move forward. Just moving in the direction of sustainability and having an environment for our students that’s safe is worth pursuing this project.” ●
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