T
o date, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency Clean School Bus Program has funded the purchase of almost 5,000 electric school buses for 600 school districts in its
first two rounds, with grants and rebates general- ly covering the full cost of a bus. Such economics make it easy for schools to take a chance on adding the buses to their fleets. Still, electric bus prices have risen, due large-
ly to inflation and supply chain issues that have caused the price of diesel buses and countless other products to rise as well. Advances in battery technology and improving economies of scale as more electric buses are manufactured have not yet reached the point of causing significant cost drops for electric buses. The question remains, if the Clean School Bus
Program (CSBP) doesn’t cover the last $100,000 to $200,000 sticker price of an electric bus, or af- ter 2026 when the $5 billion program has run its course, will districts still want to invest in electric school buses? The answer, according to experts, should be a
resounding yes. They noted that the total cost of ownership con-
tinues to make the economics of an electric school bus a wise choice. The savings on maintenance and fuel over years will more than compensate for addi- tional upfront costs, explained experts. Michelle Levinson of the World Resources
Institute (WRI) said districts need to make a “foun- dational pivot” regarding how they think about the economics of electric school buses. “It means thinking about the total cost of owner-
ship, not just the upfront purchase price of a vehicle,” continued Levinson, the senior manager of emo- bility finance and policy for WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative. “That’s where the economic case for electric really becomes clear. Every time I run a total cost of ownership assessment, I’m seeing an oper- ating savings of around $100,000 or often more over the lifetime of the bus. That is meaningful. On an unsubsidized basis there is still this gap in total cost of ownership parity because of that upfront price. But any grant over $125,000 would mean a district ends up ahead. It’s a pretty clear economic case from our perspective right now.” Mark Nestlen, vice president of business develop-
ment and strategy for electric bus and manufacturer GreenPower Motor Company, faced exactly that situation with a West Virginia district. Since it was a non-priority district, its CSBP grant was only
www.stnonline.com 27
PHOTO COURTESY OF HIGHLAND ELECTRIC
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
