ACT Expo / ACT News’ Post

While the transition to electric school buses alone cannot address unequal conditions, it can be part of, and potentially a model for, a greater effort to center equity across today's vast clean energy transition. Join World Resources Institute on Nov. 29 for a discussion about what an equitable transition of the school bus fleet looks like for students, communities and workers across the United States. WRI Electric School Bus Initiative

Electric school buses are cleaner, healthier, and cost less to maintain than diesel buses. However, there are barriers to getting electric buses on the road. “I do think there are challenges of working through transitioning your fleet,” said Sue Gander, director of WRI Electric School Bus Initiative. “All of these things are solvable. It’s just finding the time and space, and the knowledge, to make it work.” While deploying electric school buses is a new experience for many districts, private companies with electrification-as-a-service business models are designed to ease the transition for districts and reduce barriers to electrification. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eGkbBtZ5 #EVs #electric #electricschoolbuses #cleantransportation #electrification

I'll end this year's posts with my favorite #EV: electric school buses (ESBs). It's going to take time, investment, and advocacy to get the nation's fleet of buses electrified, but I'll bet it's the vehicle fleet that gets there first. The benefits are too rich. We need sticker prices to come down, which grants from the EPA Clean School Bus Program, and manufacturing and fleet tax credits should help, utilities to get prepared, and manufacturing to scale. But once those things happen, there's no reason not to choose an ESB, and there are many reasons why school districts should. My three favorite quotes from this article: "... a driver operating one of the district’s electric buses told him at a recent meeting. “He said it’s the first year in 15 years that he went home [after work] and didn’t have a headache from the diesel fumes. That’s a huge difference — and if that’s a difference for the driver, what’s the difference for the students?” “We picked two extreme routes – one I call the ‘mountain route’ and one I call the ‘city route,’” he said. He wasn’t sure if the mountain-route bus would be able to retain sufficient battery capacity, but so far it’s been returning to base with about 55 percent of its charge remaining, or 45 percent if the bus is also running its heaters, with regenerative braking helping to recharge batteries depleted during uphill climbs. The city bus rarely returns to base with less than two-thirds of its battery capacity remaining." "As for recharging costs, the district saw about $240 in increased electric bill costs during the first 20 days of electric bus operations, he said. But “with diesel, we would have been looking at $600 to $700 for that 20 days.” #electricvehicles #evs #emobility #publichealth #climateaction #sustainability #cleanenergygeneration

#NewYorkState is #leadingthecharge! $100 million now available to enable an equitable and affordable transition to #cleantransportation. Also, the recently expanded statewide utility #infrastructure #makeready programs now have $1.24 billion to help NYS reach our nation-leading climate goals. #cleanair #decarbonization #electricbus #cleanenergyrevolution #zeroemissions #thefutureisnow National Grid

The transition to electric school buses is a significant step toward reducing emissions and improving the health and well-being of our communities. It's encouraging to see that some school districts have successfully deployed electric buses, reaping the benefits of lower operating costs and a cleaner environment. However, the challenges faced by many districts in this transition are understandable. The process involves various complexities, from securing adequate funding and dealing with back-ordered buses to addressing infrastructure and utility grid upgrades. It's essential to recognize that these challenges are not insurmountable and can be resolved with the right support and resources. The involvement of organizations like the EPA, WRI, and fleet management companies is crucial in providing technical assistance and guidance to school districts. Collaborations and partnerships are key to streamlining the adoption of electric buses, especially for lower-income, rural, and tribal school districts that may face budget constraints. The positive impact of electric buses on both the environment and the health of students and communities cannot be overstated. As more districts overcome these hurdles and embrace electric school buses, we move closer to a more sustainable and healthier future for all. Kudos to those making progress in this vital endeavor! 🚌🌱 #ElectricBuses #CleanTransportation #Sustainability #CleanEnergy

Did you know that over 8,675 electric school buses (ESBs) have been ordered, delivered, put in operation, or funded through government awards, to date? The growing trend in adopting electric, zero-emission school buses means fewer children will face asthma risks and other health problems tied to diesel pollution, while enjoying reduced carbon emissions, savings on bus maintenance for strapped school budgets, and new green jobs. https://hubs.ly/Q02lPkfN0

The EPA announced nearly $900 million for school districts to replace polluting diesel buses with clean, electric ones. Over 90% of the 3,400+ new buses will be battery-powered. This is a huge step towards a greener future. Diesel exhaust is linked to health issues in young students, especially those in disadvantaged communities. Electric buses will also cut greenhouse gases, help fight climate change, and save districts money on fuel and maintenance. They'll boost demand for American-made batteries and vehicles, creating good jobs. onCORE is actively working with Electric Fleet Charging Station developers to build out an infrastructure of the future. We believe the future is bright for electrification. *** Continue reading it here: https://lnkd.in/eb6ajQp2

Great deep dive from Jeff St. John at Canary Media Inc. on the EPA Clean School Bus Program a little more than a year into its first round of funding. Several hundred electric school buses (ESB) 🚍 have already been deployed, with another ~2000 on the way. The next rounds of EPA awards will certainly grow that order backlog. But this neither a problem, nor entirely unexpected! Most school districts are purchasing ESBs for the first time, and are still learning how to plan installations of charging infrastructure and deployment of vehicles with different fueling (charging) cycles. Fortunately, our Joint Office of Energy and Transportation ⚡ is stepping up technical assistance efforts to support their journey across the learning curve. School bus manufacturers are also ramping production to meet this demand. The large and growing order backlog allows manufacturers to confidently invest in new capacity to support rapidly growing volumes, negotiate more favorable terms from component suppliers 🔋 through larger commitments, and secure financing to accelerate expansion. Ultimately these expansions will produce the scale necessary to drive costs down and accelerate fleet transitions. #manufacturing #supplychain #electricschoolbus #battery #sustainability #cleanair #electricvehicles #electrification #transportation

In this article by School Bus Fleet you'll learn how we've helped Steelton-Highspire School District and Billings Public Schools reduce school bus emissions to improve student health with the deployment of electric school buses. We currently operate over 350 zero-emission buses that have driven more than 3.5 million miles and we're not stopping. Click below and find out more about the benefits of operating electric school buses. #EV #electricschoolbus #goyellowgogreen #focusonsafety #caringforstudents

The South Carolina Department of Education announced in October 2022 that they were receiving $58M from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to purchase 148 electric buses and support #infrastructure for 16 school districts, including my local district. I now read that the number is $66M for 168 buses.   This article notes that some school districts across the US are declining the funding that they were originally awarded for similar reasons as consumers’ reasons for not wanting an electric car: range anxiety, setup of charging infrastructure, fear of new technology, etc.   I’ve been clear on my preference for ICE vehicles but interest in the #technology of #electricvehicles, but I think that electric buses, in concept, are an all-out great idea. You don’t usually need a school bus for most of the day, so it has plenty of time to charge. Noxious gases emitted from the tailpipe at the height of a child’s head are not healthy, and the Journal of Health Economics in 2019 noted the negative effects of diesel pollution on students’ health and learning abilities.   Despite my own concerns about shifting to an electric fleet of buses – how to charge the bus without primary electricity, electricity generated by non-green sources negating the #environment benefits of an electric bus, and the significant reduction in range and charging capacity in cold weather – I think that the benefits outweigh the costs. What do you think? Is it a waste of tax dollars? Am I way off base, here? Or does it make fiscal and environmental sense? #transportation #sustainability #supplychain #logistics