considerations are not only causing anxiety in the state’s rural school districts but also urban and suburban ones like Orange Unified. “Our team has many logistics to consider when rout- ing EV buses because of the range these buses currently offer,” Celeste-Russo noted. “We’ve experienced issues when scheduling them on home-to-school routes, fol- lowed by field trip assignments.” Often, drivers will pre-trip two buses per day to ensure they have enough range and battery life to complete their daily route and trip assignments successfully, she added. Meanwhile, Franklin Pierce School District in Tacoma,
Washington, has also moved incrementally in adopting electric buses. The district obtained its first ESB in 2017. It then incorporated three more into its overall fleet of 65 buses last summer. In the process, staff have learned to minimize routing challenges. “We don’t move the buses from route to route,” not-
ed Tim Bridgeman, director of transportation. “Once we find a route they work on they don’t move, and routing takes into account they’re e-buses before making any changes.” In the process, charges are closely monitored. “We check the overall a.m. and p.m. mileage to make
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sure the buses can make the runs in the a.m. then return to get enough charge to do the p.m.,” Bridgeman said. “This can be tough during early release days.” In supporting field trips, electric vehicles are ruled out.
Sometimes this means drivers must return to the yard and switch buses. For San Diego (California) Unified School District,
experience gained with its current cohort of 13 electric buses (out of a total fleet of 460) will be applied as 30 more ESBs are obtained. The new acquisitions will be supported by a $12.4 million grant through the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program grants. In the early stages of integrating ESBs into the district’s fleet, the vehicles occasionally had to be towed back to the transportation yard after a fully depleted charge, noted Maintenance Manager John Burciaga. To avoid such problems, a minimum charge of 75 percent is now required before any electric bus can leave the transpor- tation yard. And routes are limited to a maximum of 60 miles, allowing for the full recharge of a bus following a three-to-four-hour morning or afternoon route. Editor’s note—The maximum ESB battery charging
capacity is often limited to 80 percent for safety considerations. Check with individual manufacturers for more information.
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