https://electrek.co/2019/07/17/california-electric-school-buses/
[It is also worth noting the health benefits to our children from having
them on zero-emissions vehicles. We know that air quality is related to
the number of cases of childhood asthma and hospital visits. Not having
diesel (PM2.5, soot, other toxins and carcinogens in the exhaust) idling
in school yards at drop-off and pick-up times (precisely when young
lungs are available for maximum exposure) will be a big win on the
long-term health care front, as well as for reducing GHG emissions, and
improving air and water quality.]
California replacing 200 polluting diesel school buses with all-electric
buses
Phil Dzikiy
- Jul. 17th 2019
The California Energy Commission has awarded nearly $70 million to state
schools to replace more than 200 diesel school buses with new,
all-electric school buses.
The commission approved the funding this week. A total of $89.8 million
has now been earmarked for new electric buses at schools in 26
California counties, as the commission’s School Bus Replacement Program
works toward this goal.
A study published in Economics of Education Review last month showed
diesel retrofits had positive results on both respiratory health and
test scores. Eliminating emissions from these buses completely will do
even more to protect children from dangerous emissions while cutting air
pollution.
The new buses will eliminate nearly 57,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides,
and nearly 550 pounds of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions
annually. California Energy Commissioner Patty Monahan said,
“School buses are by far the safest way for kids to get to school.
But diesel-powered buses are not safe for kids’ developing lungs, which
are particularly vulnerable to harmful air pollution. Making the
transition to electric school buses that don’t emit pollution provides
children and their communities with cleaner air and numerous public
health benefits.”
The exact number of buses going to California school districts is
unclear — the energy commission only says “more than 200.” If the
entirety of the $70 million went to just 200 buses, that’d be $350,000
per bus.
But while the exact cost of each bus is unknown, the commission does
estimate that “schools will save nearly $120,000 in fuel and maintenance
costs per bus over 20 years.” Some estimates have noted that electric
school buses tend to cost about $120,000 more than diesel buses — if
that’s the case here, the price will be equal in the end, with added
health benefits.
Funding for the electric buses is supplied by the voter-approved
California Clean Energy Jobs Act, and the commission’s Clean
Transportation Program will provide the charging infrastructure to
support the buses.
Today, the commission awarded The Lion Electric Co. with a contract to
provide electric buses. Lion has already deployed more than 200 electric
school buses in North America, with California getting the bulk of those
buses thus far.
Electrek’s Take
School buses are a perfect opportunity to go electric. In addition to
the health benefits for school children and others, school buses
generally run short, set routes at the same times every day, so charging
should never be an issue.
Upfront funding seems to be the biggest challenge to getting more
electric school buses, as costs balance out over time when considering
fuel and maintenance savings. We’d love to see more investments in these
types of initiatives, and more kids taking electric buses to schools
every day. It’s such an obvious fit.
--
Darryl McMahon
Freelance Project Manager (sustainable systems)
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