charger or several of them quick- ly power up buses, a steep demand charge could result. “If you don’t control your charging,
you create a situation where for a short period of time you consume a lot of power, relative to the total amount of energy you consume,” explained Couch. “Everything turns on for 15 minutes then tapers off, and you get charged for peak demand. You want to keep your peak demand as low as possible and as consistent as possible, or you can blow those charges up pretty quickly and you’re not saving costs on fuel. You’re pay- ing more.” Districts can talk with utilities to help choose the rate plan and charging strategy that works best for electric bus charging. Utilities includ- ing San Diego Gas & Electric also have programs to help install charging infrastructure. “California has seen a significant
surge in electricity prices over the past few years. We are partnering with San Diego Gas & Electric to provide some relief,” said Burciaga. “We will be utiliz- ing the state [Department of General Services] contract to ensure we are paying the lowest prices available.” Indiana Michigan Power gave a $2,500 grant to Three Rivers for its electric buses, and it is helping the district locate two new charging stations. Districts hire third-party charging managers that use smart technology, automation and data to charge buses at the optimal times and in the opti- mal amounts. A third-party service might make sense especially if there are demand charges or other compli- cated situations, Couch said, although the fee for the service then reduces the cost savings. Electric school bus providers like
Highland that own the vehicles and charging infrastructure and manage
20% of
transportation directors/
supervisors
have ordered propane school buses.
(Out of 80 responses to a recent STN reader survey.)
What OEM have you purchased propane from? 88% Blue Bird 56% IC Bus 25% Thomas Built Buses
(Out of 16 responses. Total does not equal 100. Multiple answers allowed.)
all aspects of bus service also offer advantages. “When Highland owns the buses,
we can leverage private sector finan- cial tools, such as asset depreciation, that further decrease the cost of elec- trification for school districts,” said Highland Chief Commercial Officer Brian Buccella. He noted that electricity typically
represents about 10 percent of the cost of running an electric bus fleet, with managed charging. “However, without proper controls or energy management in place, energy costs can increase to 15 percent of the total project cost, making ongoing charge management and competitive supply procurement key to ensuring that en- ergy pricing maintains its significant advantage over diesel,” he said. Vehicle-to-grid technology, while
still in its relative infancy, could in the future significantly decrease the overall cost of charging a bus, since districts or bus providers can be paid by utilities to let their buses essentially serve as batteries that replenish the grid when they are not being driven. “V2G is an emerging category.
There’s not enough data to know yet how that will pencil out,” said Couch, noting that V2G would likely entail DC fast chargers. “School buses have this unique operating profile. They’re busy in the morning and afternoon but otherwise sitting around available to do energy storage and grid services. We’re still in the very early stages of utilities figuring out how they would imple- ment V2G. The thing you see more typically is demand response, where you get credit for adding or turning off load but you’re not sending power back to the grid.”
The Propane Alternative Meanwhile, propane delivers fewer
miles per gallon than gasoline or diesel, but it can still result in savings based on
58 School Transportation News • MARCH 2024
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