As Air Quality Awareness Week wraps up, it’s a perfect opportunity to explore one of the most impactful ways Washington communities can reduce air pollution: through electrifying school bus fleets with help from Ecology. Electric school bus technology advances at a rapid pace. We are ready to fund new opportunities for school districts to buy new vehicles, train staff, and install infrastructure to keep kids on healthier buses for years to come. The $15 million School Bus and Fleet Transition grant will not only benefit student health through the elimination of diesel engine exhaust, but can also update and extend the life of older electric bus infrastructure, or even turn idle buses into a two-way source of power.
Brad James manages WSU’s Green Transportation Program, which partners with Ecology to help districts adopt cleaner technologies to get students to school. He drives home the fact that electric school buses provide both health and performance advantages over fossil fuel buses. “They have zero tailpipe emissions, which is better for the environment, and for the health of the children riding the bus, the driver, and the community that the bus drives through. They also have fewer moving parts than their diesel counterparts, so maintenance is less expensive and more infrequent.”
At a time when school budgets are tight, there’s no question the initial price tag of adopting new bus technology can be a stumbling block. “Their upfront cost is often 2–2.5 times what an equivalent diesel bus may cost. That’s what makes Ecology’s School Bus and Fleet Transition grant program so critical,” says James. “It reduces the upfront cost of an electric school bus so that a school district can now afford it. We provide technical assistance to help get the bus on the road, and then the school district reaps all the benefits of having an electric bus.”
Beyond the bus
The needs of schools and the communities they serve are unique, which is why this grant round also supports funding projects that go beyond the bus.
With support from Ecology grant funds, the Olympia School District bus barn in Tumwater is using a new technology to pull power back into the energy grid while buses are parked. Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller was on hand for the first test of the technology.
“This is just one of the many benefits the transition to electric school buses brings to Washington,” said Sixkiller. “Imagine the impact that hundreds of buses could have on Vehicle-to-Grid technology, where kids not only get a diesel-free ride to and from school every day, but once they’re home, that same bus is helping power the laptop they do their homework on.”
Creativity pays off
In the Elma School District, in southwest Washington, a truly unique configuration allows their electric buses to not only provide cleaner and healthier rides to students, but also to reduce the cost of charging those buses through solar power.
Caleb Bogar, the district’s transportation supervisor, says their multi-year grant awards through Ecology have allowed them to operate three full-size electric school buses, logging about 150 miles each day. “We have completed two solar array projects totaling 71.24 kW. When weather conditions are favorable, we offset approximately 75% of our daily electric bus charging consumption.”
Considering going electric?
If your school has considered purchasing an electric school bus or needs to upgrade older electric bus infrastructure, we are ready to answer your questions about this new grant opportunity. Learn more on our clean diesel grants webpage (link above), or email us at aqcleanvehiclegrants@ecy.wa.gov. And if your electrification or charging needs don’t quite line up with the guidelines of this program, consider exploring the latest round of our Charge Where You Are grant.
