A Promising Trajectory Districts have the chance to apply for two more
rounds of Clean School Bus Program funding. After that program expires, various other incentives still exist. The EPA announced its nearly $1 billion Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program, which sets aside $652 million for electric school buses. State incentive pro- grams are also expanding, including in New York and California, which have the most aggressive zero-emis- sions mandates. Levinson said there is about $3 billion available nationwide through different state incentive programs. Nestlen noted that state policies on school bus fleet
replenishment can also support electric buses. Typically states offer certain funds based on the existing value of a district’s fleet, so if a district’s fleet increases in value thanks to electric bus acquisitions, the base funding they get in future years would also increase. West Virginia provides 1/12th the value of a district’s entire fleet for purchasing new buses each year, with the idea that a fleet will need to be turned over every 12 years.
“If you put an electric school bus into a fleet in West
Virginia, that can increase your yearly payment from the state by $38,000,” Nestlen said. West Virginia, like other states, also reimburses dis-
tricts based on the miles driven each year, and West Virginia reimburses at a 10-percent higher rate for elec- tric buses—providing another incentive. New large electric buses can also offer increased
student capacity compared to the diesel buses they are replacing, he added, leading to extra savings since districts might be able to reduce the number of buses needed in the fleet. “You don’t just have savings of one bus instead of two.
Now, you have driver savings, operation and mainte- nance savings,” Nestlen said. He noted that while “Buy America” and other policy
requirements to make vehicles eligible for subsidies can raise prices, that factor that may level out in the long run. “Everyone wants to immediately move away from China and the Asia market providing some of the com- ponents we need for electric vehicles,” he said. “It does
30 School Transportation News • JUNE 2024
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