The State of Electric School Buses: Where We Are and Where We’re Going

With a new federal administration, changing regulations, price concerns, not to mention funding uncertainty, one might think that electric school buses are in decline. However, those directly involved in the industry’s electrification say recent events are merely a hiccup. Electric bus projects are still very much powering forward in North America.

One barrier to getting reliable infrastructure is that the utilities in our country are dealing with aging power lines and higher energy use (especially as AI ramps up), Wiley said. “Once in a while, electric school buses show up in a schoolyard and there’s no chargers yet for them,” she said. “So we always advise districts to start on their charging before they look at bus models. And it’s hard to do that because you feel out of your depth having a conversation with a utility.”

For instances in which there might be interconnection delays or grid constraints, the industry is responding with innovative solutions, Rachel Chard, deputy director, electric school bus projects, CALSTART, said, mentioning First Student’s trenchless charging solution, First Charge, and the Fast & Flexible Interconnection program from Itron and The Mobility House.

Coverage also seen in Charged Fleet.