6 Reasons to Work with a Partner to Electrify Your School Bus Fleet
Electrifying your school bus or municipal fleet successfully takes a lot of knowledge, planning, coordination, and time. Going at it alone is possible, but there are many reasons why it’s more beneficial to do it with an advisor you know and trust. Here are six reasons to work with a trusted electrification partner when transitioning your fleet:
1. Having the Right Electrification Plan from the Start
Without a proper plan, you will experience missteps or delays when electrifying your fleet. A good electrification partner will ask you the right questions upfront to help you develop a comprehensive project plan. Important elements to solidify your plan include:
- Setting timelines and expectations for completion
- Securing grant funding and/or affordable financing options
- Designing your depot for current and future use – including mapping your routes
- Connecting you with the right providers for purchasing electric buses, chargers, and software
- Working with your utility company
Your electrification partner will ensure that you’re fully prepared and your project will be successful.
2. Providing Charging Technology Expertise
Knowing what to buy is critical to the success of your project. A good electrification partner will guide you in selecting the right components for your project for the long term. For instance, they will offer you guidance to make sure you purchase the correct bus type(s) to accommodate the students in your school district, that the chargers you select are adaptable and of good quality, and also that the software used to manage your fleet supports your depot’s needs.
3. Streamlined Utility Connections
Working with your local utility can be an onerous task. An electrification partner who has already established relationships with your utility knows what is required and can help you navigate the interconnection process seamlessly.
For instance, your utility will want to know details regarding the size of your project, the types of chargers being installed, as well as how much power will be needed for consistent operation. With this expertise, your electrification partner should also advocate for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability (if applicable), to help you sell the unused energy from your EV fleet back to the grid in your community. This will help increase your operational revenue and lower the cost of your project while keeping your local grid stable.
4. Coordinating Installation
Securing permits, finding contractors, and installing the charging infrastructure for your fleet requires a lot of coordination and time. With the right partner overseeing the process on your behalf, the implementation of your EV depot can be simple. Your partner is there to help you meet your delivery timeline, work through commissioning, and stay engaged with the appointed contractors of your project.
5. Training You and Your Staff
Managing an electric fleet is different from managing a diesel fleet. Once the chargers are installed and the buses are delivered, you will still need guidance on how to operate your new fleet successfully. EV technology is still evolving, so it will take time to understand things like how to keep a full charge on the bus, how to anticipate the range needed for a roundtrip route, and how to drive the bus in a specific type of weather (winter, for example).
A good electrification partner already has the knowledge and expertise in these areas and will help train you and your staff for successful fleet management.
6. Maintenance & Long-Term Support
As EV technology evolves and the needs of your project change, it will be important to have ongoing support even after your project is complete and running successfully. A good electrification partner will keep you up-to-date on the latest technology and provide on-the-ground support helping you work through issues quickly and ensuring there are no disruptions to your operations.
While you can go it alone, the benefits of having a partner support your electrification project are clear. From planning to execution and long-term support, an electrification partner like Highland is available to make the process easier, more efficient, and ultimately more successful.
Learn more about how you can work with Highland to electrify your current fleet.
