Our district is excited to announce that we’ve received grant funding to acquire two full-size electric buses for our fleet. This investment will not only reduce our environmental impact but also provide our students with a quieter ride while also being more cost efficient to operate. We understand some members of our community may have concerns about this new technology, but we believe that the benefits of electric buses outweigh any potential drawbacks.
Funding and No Additional Cost
Springville-Griffith Institute Central School District has received grant awards that will allow the district to obtain two electric buses at no additional cost and will also pay for the charging devices, wiring and labor.
The NY School Bus Incentive Program (NYSBIP) was established by NYSERDA in order to assist school districts in meeting the zero-emission bus timelines. The state’s goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 85% by 2050. That goal includes requiring all school buses purchased by 2027 to be zero-emission buses, with school districts’ entire fleet to be transitioned to zero-emission by 2035. NYSBIP is a voucher incentive program to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission school buses and charging infrastructures throughout New York State.
The district’s other funding source is from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the EPA Clean School Bus Program provides funding to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and clean school buses.
These two grant programs are “stackable,” meaning that since our district received both, we can combine them to cover the entire cost of two electric buses and the related infrastructure.
About the Buses and Training
Thomas Built’s Saf-T-Liner® C2 Jouley electric school buses are the culmination of years of electric school bus research, development and testing. The Jouley is built on the Saf-T-Liner C2 chassis to deliver all the comfort, ease of maintenance and exceptional durability that you’d expect from a Thomas Built bus. Here are the key electric school bus innovations that Jouley provides:
DC fast charging – the fastest, most efficient charging comes standard
Largest standard battery capacity of any electric bus: 246 kWh
Excellent operating range: up to 150 miles
State-of-the-art safety technology:
Intellipark® braking (standard)
SmartTrac™ electronic stability control (ESC) (standard)
The bus uses Proterra’s lightweight, powerful battery systems to deliver superior range and proven performance. The batteries have been rigorously tested to ensure that they meet an exceptional commitment to quality. Thomas’ buses exceed industry standards for high voltage and functional safety, cold weather performance, reliability and durability.
Myth vs. Fact
For more information on the facts about electric buses, please click the link below to check out a helpful flyer: