5 Benefits That Come with Electric School Buses
Electric school buses provide many appealing advantages to school districts. If you’re an administrator trying to make a decision on how to incorporate sustainable transportation options into your district’s fleet, know that EV school buses can have an immediate impact on both the environment and your budget.
Here are the top 5 benefits of operating an electric school bus fleet:
1. Reduced GHG Emissions & Better Air Quality
Electric school buses provide significant benefits when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions and overall air quality. The transportation sector is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the United States. Currently, more than 90% of school buses in the U.S. run on diesel fuel.
One study found that replacing diesel-fueled school buses with electric ones could remove approximately 181 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per bus. If you are interested in learning about the potential impact of transitioning your own fleet to electric vehicles, we’ve created an Emissions Calculator that you can use to estimate both fuel and emissions savings for your fleet.
2. V2G
Also known as vehicle-to-grid, V2G is a charging technology which allows idle vehicle batteries to send power back to the grid. This means that electric school buses can essentially act as mobile batteries when they are not in use.
Bidirectional chargers can actually generate revenue for school districts by returning surplus energy from bus batteries back to the grid during periods of high demand. This could help offset some operating costs. This type of energy transfer is not possible with gas-powered vehicles and could heavily support your local grid during those off-seasons like the summer when school is not in session.
3. Reduced Maintenance Costs
According to one analysis, school districts could expect to see substantial savings in lifetime maintenance savings for each electric bus deployed, compared to an equivalent diesel bus. An internal combustion engine typically contains more than 2,000 moving components, while an EV system uses only about 20 moving parts. In reality, this means electric vehicles contain far fewer potential points of fatigue or failure.
This also means less money would be spent on replacement parts, lubricants, and overall man-hours needed to service the bus over its lifetime.
Some school districts have reported as much as a 60% decrease in maintenance expenses alone from making the switch.
4. Reduced Operating Costs for School Transit Systems
Transitioning to electric school buses can generate substantial savings in operating costs. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that, on average, annual operational cost savings can range from $5,000 – $10,000 per bus. This can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings over the lifetime of each electric bus. Another study found that the total upfront purchase price of electric freight trucks and buses will be less expensive than those powered by fossil fuels by 2027. Considering this, your TCO (total cost of ownership) will be lower.
The current upfront cost of electric school buses is higher than diesel ones, but with state, federal, and utility rebates and incentives this cost can drop substantially.
5. Health Benefits for Students & Drivers
Studies have shown that the air quality can actually be worse inside a school bus than outside. Research suggests that within-bus concentrations of pollutants and air toxins could be 4-12x higher than in outdoor air. Diesel exhaust is a known carcinogen, with links to physical health issues and cognitive development impacts. Researchers have estimated that switching to electric school buses could lead to as much as $43,800 in healthcare savings, from reduced rates of childhood asthma and overall mortality.
The health impacts became more stark when the researchers examined major metropolitan areas. They estimated that replacing a circa 2005 diesel school bus with an electric bus would achieve $207,200 in health benefits per bus. Electric school buses produce no tailpipe emissions, and greatly reduce exposure to pollutants for passengers and for other vehicles on the board.
There are many positives to adopting battery-powered electric school buses. Electric school buses offer health benefits, supplemental revenue through V2G, and a reduction in maintenance costs for school districts.
Interested in learning more about the environmental and cost-savings from switching to electric school buses? Connect with us at Highland here.
