The electrification of vehicle fleets across the country for school districts and universities as well as governmental organizations at the federal, state and municipal levels is well underway.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is trying to electrify more school buses across the country with the goal of reducing kids to toxic exposure by converting fleets from diesel-burning buses to electric, zero-emission buses, according to Grist.
The EPA’s Clean School Bus Program plans to reimburse school districts $5 billion over five years for replacing their diesel fleets with electric buses.
One significant hurdle for school districts, even with the money the program can provide, is costs. The article says that electric buses cost more than three times as much as diesel-powered buses.
The Biden Administration has already scaled back on its initial electrification hopes. Initially, the administration proposed $174 billion for school buses, enough for 96,000 buses. Instead, the $5 billion program will provide funding for only 11,000 new buses.
Despite financial challenges that some school districts anticipate, some municipal governments are going forward with transitioning their fleets. Boston last year announced it would go entirely electric with its bus fleet by 2030. New York recently became the first state to fully commit to an electric bus fleet, setting a goal of 2035 to electrify its fleet.
Dave Lubach is the managing editor, Facility Market.
