“In order to get there, we’re working on both
the vehicles themselves, which have been our historical area of expertise, along with the supporting ecosystem required to make those technologies successful,” he said. “… At TBB and with our Electric Bus Authority, we’re ready to support customers today with siting, permitting and construction of electric recharging infra- structure. However, as demand increases for the products, and as these products offer greater range capability, access to public chargers that can comfortably be approached by a commer- cial vehicle and a large increase in grid capacity must be realized. These are projects that will take a long time, meaning that diesel will con- tinue to play a strong part of the fleet mix until those challenges are resolved, so the 2027 stan- dards will provide even cleaner engines in the interim than our already clean diesel engines and we look forward to meeting the tough, en- forceable standards for NOx reduction.” Chaaya noted that while electric is the future
of pupil transportation, “as its the cleanest and most efficient fuel currently on the market,” fully
committing to electric might not be the path for every school district right now. Instead, Thomas recommends to its customers that they stick with one’s current fleet makeup until they’re ready to fully go electric. “Which is why some are looking at switch- ing to gasoline, propane or compressed natural gas,” he said. “From a cost-benefit standpoint, conversion to any other fuel type aside from electrification does not currently make sense. Thomas Built Buses believes that replacing diesel buses with new diesel buses (or alternatively, propane with propane or gasoline with gasoline) is the most budget-friendly option for fleets not ready to make the move to electrification.” He continued adding that “today’s diesel engines are more than 90 percent cleaner than they were in 2006 and are comparable or even cleaner than other fuel types based on EPA-reg- ulated emissions standards.” Chaaya added that diesel remains the most
fuel-efficient engine in the market and pro- vides up to 50 percent better fuel economy, when compared to other similar-size gasoline,
The Future of DERA With the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) up for reauthorization in Congress and the push for
zero-emissions technology, there are many questions on the longevity of the program. Gabe Rozsa, a consultant who has been involved in the DERA coalition of interested companies and trade organizations for many years, noted that some congressional members and environmental advocates might push for more funding to go toward zero-emission technology. However, he said there are still tremendous air quality benefits to replacing old diesel school buses with cleaner diesel alternatives, and the DERA program helps to get those older, dirtier diesel engines off the road. He added that despite the big push for electric vehicles, there are hurdles to overcome, and battery-electric might not be the solution for every school district. Because a lot has happened since DERA was last reauthorized in 2020, there will continue to be conversations about the program going forward. In the meantime, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 enacted last August included an additional $60 million for the DERA program, “to identify and reduce diesel emissions resulting from goods movement facilities and vehicles servicing goods movement facilities in low-income and disadvantaged communities.” The IRA also included a related but distinct “Clean Heavy Duty Vehicles Program,” which provides an additional $1 billion to be available through fiscal year 2031. It instructs EPA to implement a program for grants and rebates to eligible recipients for zero-emissions vehicle replacements, fueling, charging infrastructure, and workplace development. Congress also provided an additional $100 million in DERA funding last December in the fiscal year
2023 appropriations bill. An EPA representative noted the agency is putting together a plan to allocate the $60 million in new funding but had no further details to share at this report. Additionally, the EPA representative added that the Clean Heavy Duty Vehicles Program is still under development, and the agency was seeking stakeholder input at this report.
46 School Transportation News • MARCH 2023
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