L
Leading school bus contractors ramp up electric implementation even as propane offerings expand
Written By Kari Lydersen
ast spring, First Student announced at the time the largest-ever purchase of electric school buses in North Ameri- ca, 260 buses built by the Lion Electric
Company for operations in Quebec. Recently, the company secured grants to expand bus electrification for districts in six states: Califor- nia, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, and Rhode Island. With a fleet of about 40,000 buses serving
5 million students in 39 states, First Student is dedicated to “working to deploy [electric buses] as quickly as they come off the manufacturing line,” according to a representative, making it accessible to districts through a “turnkey” approach and cooperation with utilities that includes exploring vehicle-to-grid (V2G) tech- nology—a promising albeit immature revenue stream that could help the overall performance and environmental impact of the grid. North America’s other major private school
bus providers including National Express and Student Transportation of America (STA) are also quickly integrating electric buses into their fleets, with plans to accelerate such moves. While the cost of electric buses can still be a barrier, providers are helping districts obtain grants, plan for charging infrastructure and de- velop an efficient charging strategy, while also working with utilities. The grants First Student recently announced
are from a combination of local, federal and state programs including California’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Vouch- er Incentive Project (HVIP), the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Fund, and the federal Diesel Emission Funding Act (DERA) program. First Student also prioritizes collaboration
with utilities, some of which “have introduced make-ready type programs or equivalent to provide funding, rebates, or construction incentives for charging infrastructure,” said
www.stnonline.com 37
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
