Three Big Letters: TCO Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), a key consideration for fleet managers, is where repowers show strong poten- tial. Repowering is less than half the cost of buying new. More than 40 percent of diesel TCO is the cost of fuel. Electric motors are much more efficient than diesel en- gines. Depending on local price of diesel and electricity in your location, the repower TCO may be at price parity with diesel right now, even without grants or incentives. Run a TCO calculator specific to your operation. Broader cost issues around repowers include fund-
ing eligibility and warranties. As of this report, an EPA spokesperson said the agency had yet make a deci- sion regarding repowers for future rounds of the Clean School Bus Program. Year two details are expected this spring. In the meantime, public feedback can be sent to
cleanschoolbus@epa.gov.
Current Repower Options
Meanwhile, Blue Bird said student transporters need
to exercise caution as it does not certify or endorse third-party aftermarket electrification repowers. “As with any aftermarket solution, installation of these power- trains fully voids the OEM warranty provided by Blue Bird, and is, therefore, not recommended for school districts, where safety and reliability are of utmost importance,” Britton Smith, senior vice president of elec- trification and chief strategy officer at Blue Bird, said. The warranty question may loom large for districts that in
past years did conversions from diesel to CNG and propane, without always getting satisfaction. MTE stated the standard warranty on its transformed bus batteries is eight years, and five years or 100,000 miles on the propulsion system. Michael Backman of UES, the only company with re-
MTE (Kankakee, Illinois) and SEA Electric (Grimes, Iowa) Marketed as “transformations,” SEA is repowering used IC Bus
powered school buses on the road at this writing, reported negotiable warranties of five to eight years or longer, “with many options available, just like new vehicles.” Backman noted that the lack of transmissions, fluid lines, exhaust systems and many other parts means there are fewer reasons that war- ranties may come into play. Bison EV Retrofits, meanwhile, is
(formerly International) Type C buses. The work is performed in Grimes, Iowa. Midwest Transit said it has a significant inventory ready for transformation.
Unique Electric Solutions (Holbrook, New York) Marketed as “conversions,” UES is the first to have repowers on the road: three, with two more on order.
Blue Bird (Macon, Georgia) and Lightning eMotors (Loveland, Colorado) Announced last fall and marketed as “repowers” with the first factory-
certified program, this team is targeting model years 2021 and newer. The companies claim their approach helps districts that are hesitant to buy new buses with new gas or propane engines, for fear of them becoming obsolete. EPA’s 2022 Clean School Bus Rebates allows for reimbursement for the purchase of repowers in the same age range. See page 15 of the fall Q&A document from EPA.
Optimal EV (Elkhart, Indiana and Plymouth, Michigan) As shown recently at the STN EXPO Reno, the company offers the
E1-Repower electric cutaway chassis conversion with Proterra battery packs for small school buses built on the Ford E-450.
Emerging repower vendors include Revo, Bison EV and Pepper Motion,
all with varying degrees of experience in repowering vehicles other than school buses, looking to now engage school bus fleets. Bison EV states it can perform the 2021 repowers that EPA will fund.
advertising warranty options of over 7 years or 300,000 miles, underwritten by OEM warranties and a global insur- ance-backed warranty on the batteries. One transit bus fleet manager re-
ported negotiating a warranty on a repowered bus purchase that includes a performance clause. For example, if the bus fails to be in service for at least 20,000 miles every six months, a year is added to the warranty. As with all buses, location and geography have key roles in how warranty service plays out.
Repowering or Buying a Repower Repowering changes the power
source in a bus fleets own and will con- tinue to use. Beaverton School District in Oregon is doing this in partnership with consultant Forth Mobility, using a grant from the American Rescue Plan Act, with a 2008 Blue Bird Type C the district currently owns. In contrast, buying a repower, as in the MTE-SEA transformed model, is purchasing a bus that has been converted (never owned). Either way, a subtle but pivotal factor in success is the confidence of your team.
Transit buses run about 43,000 miles annually compared to about 15,000 for school buses. Visit
stnonline.com/go/er for data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center.
56 School Transportation News • MARCH 2023
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