How do you see the adoption of zero-emission buses evolving across school districts on the East Coast?
We are seeing some strong interest/movement toward electric school buses on the east coast. This is driven, in part by state decarbonization efforts and the availability of state grants, on top of federal programs.
What are some of the biggest barriers to large-scale deployment of electric school buses, and how can they be addressed?
We have to address several factors including, but not limited to, false/misinformation regarding the operation of electric school buses, range anxiety, cost and unfounded safety concerns.
How do cold weather conditions on the East Coast impact the performance and range of electric buses?
I would like to start by stating we did a full fleet conversion of 130 buses to electric, in Quebec. Temperatures reached -35F and our buses performed flawlessly. If a bus is 100% electric, then cold weather will impact range. Most buses today offer an alternative for heat. A clean diesel, fuel fired heater, will eliminate that concern and still offer a 99% plus emission free ride. We look at factors such as weather and topography, when doing a route analysis to determine the viability of an electric bus on a particular route so while it is a concern in theory, in reality we address it before we deploy a bus.
What steps can be taken to ensure underserved school districts have equal access to electrification funding and technology?
Needs based funding is a component of the EPA Clean School Bus Program, as well as with certain state funding. What we would like to see is more funding, dedicated to infrastructure, to help mitigate the start-up costs of fleet electrification. Additionally, with increased adaption we believe that the OEM’s will be able to reduce costs through economies of scale based on the additional demand.
What are some of the most exciting new innovations in EV technology that could improve fleet operations?
With each new iteration of electric school buses we are seeing increased range. Battery technology is also evolving as is charging technology. These will go a long way towards addressing concerns around range. With these advances, as well as increased demand for ESB’s, we believe the associated costs will decrease significantly allowing for diesel parity, in terms of cost, over the next 3-5 years. Beyond that, we have designed a patent pending technology for infrastructure deployment, First Charge, which is completely above grade, easy to deploy, and offers savings of 30%, or more, by eliminating trenching.
Are there any policy gaps that still need to be addressed to make large-scale electrification smoother?
Without a doubt we saw policy precipitate the migration to electrification, however, for long term growth and adoption the change needs to balance between caring for children, environment and economics.
