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SPECIAL REPORT


Jarret Rickerds, an auditor with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is behind the wheel of a driver simulator the South Carolina Department of Education is using to train school district staff on driving electric buses. Gabriel Porras- Sanchez, EPA’s auditor-in-charge, watches. The state department has three simulators in all available for school districts. They will also be used for post-accident training.


“As the district’s EV fleet grows, consideration will need to be given to offsite charging capabilities away from the transportation yard,” Burciaga said. “This will allow charging between morning and afternoon routes without having to return to the transportation yard.” He noted that several factors should be considered for


optimum routing. They include the amount of driving time on surface streets versus the freeway, since the re- generation rate is greater on surface streets. The number of wheelchair positions on the bus is another consider- ation, as the wheelchair lift draws from the 12-volt system that is recharged from the high-voltage vehicle drive bat- tery. In addition, warmer months require shorter routes due to air conditioning usage. To take these and other considerations into account, driver training on how best to maximize power usage is important, Burciaga added. Training has also been a focus in South Caroli-


na, which has developed an operator certification program for drivers of electric vehicles and requires all ESB drivers to complete it. The program includes classroom learning, simulator training, and on-the-road driving experience. The training is provided with three mobile simulators, which are relocated and set up in front of the buses being deployed in each district. “These simulators help us evaluate how well drivers


are adjusting to the specific operational characteris- tics of the EV bus,” explained Mike Bullman, director of transportation for the South Carolina Department of


20 School Transportation News • JUNE 2024


Transportation. “The comprehensive training and eval- uation process not only enhances driver efficiency but also helps alleviate any potential anxiety associated with driving an all-electric bus.” The ESBs make up a growing proportion of the state’s bus fleet. South Carolina currently has 25 electric buses in operation, with an additional 139 at various stages of deployment. Once fully deployed, a total of 168 ESBs will operate in 17 different school districts across the state, with deployment sizes ranging from four to 20 units. That will represent about 3 percent of the state’s total fleet of 5,200 route buses, in some districts accounting for as much as 15 percent of the fleet. To date, the ESB experience has been largely positive. “We haven’t come across any significant issues


specifically related to the electric components or the functionality of these EVs,” he noted. “In fact, the incidents that have occurred have been minor problems which are common to any fleet of vehicles, regardless of the pow- er source.” Overall, the transition to electric vehicles has been smoother than expected, he added, and the perfor- mance of electric buses continues to exceed expectations. Through training and lessons learned from everyday


practice indicates route planning for electric buses is based on avoiding situations that exceed their capacity. “Our primary considerations when determining the best routes are route length and whether any mid-day trips are assigned to the bus,” Bullman said.


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