What Are The Disadvantages Of Electric School Buses? The two biggest disadvantages are cost and range. Although an electric bus is likely to save money in the long term, the initial purchase price is considerably higher.
Findings from the evaluation showed battery buses had an overall average efficiency of 2.36 kWh per mile, or 15.9 miles per diesel gallon equivalent (mpdge). The hybrid buses had an average fuel economy of 6.3 mpdge and the diesel buses had a fuel economy of 5.3 mpdge.
More fuel efficient: Diesel school buses can drive at 8.20 miles per gallon, whereas an electric school bus drives at 20.87 miles per diesel gallon equivalent — making them almost 60% more energy efficient.
Diesel school buses are already the most fuel-efficient in the industry, due to a higher BTU count compared to other fuels, providing better fuel economy and a longer operating range compared to similar-sized gasoline, propane or compressed natural gas (CNG) engines.
Thanks to their ability to cut pollutants and climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions while keeping noise levels to a minimum, electric buses improve living conditions for urban residents.
Electric school buses are a cleaner, safer alternative, and they're cheaper to operate — it costs about 14 cents a mile for electricity compared to 49 cents per mile for diesel fuel, according to Blue Bird, a leading school bus manufacturer. They can also act as giant batteries to store surplus energy when not in use.
Featuring two electric motors engineered to deliver an impressive 550 horsepower, the DuoPower drivetrain has the potential to propel a bus from 0 to 20 mph in under six seconds. With a seating capacity of 29, the bus provides a maximum range of 240 miles and a top speed of 65mph.
It's cheaper to run and maintain an electric bus.Fueling a bus with electricity is only about a third of the cost of fueling it with gas, which saves a considerable amount of money over time. Electric buses also have fewer regular maintenance costs—because they don't run on fuel, there's no need for oil changes.
Expanding Bus Ranges and Declining Battery Prices Are Making Electric Buses Mainstream Electric buses today can travel anywhere between 150 miles on the lower end to 275 – 300 miles on a single charge.
How much does it cost to replace an electric bus battery? When will that replacement be necessary? The traction battery on an electric school bus could cost around $50,000 to replace, if replacement costs are not covered under warranty. Battery capacity and bus range will decline over time.
Since they do not use gasoline or diesel, BEBs do not produce tailpipe pollution. Thus, BEBs offer a better option than other bus technologies for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, as well as other harmful pollutants in urban areas.
In the U.K. London is the best by far in terms of frequency. Cardiff is a mixed bag. Cardiff Bus doesn't give change but at least you can buy a day pass using the app these days.