Are electric school buses worth it?

They're responsible for significantly lower levels of greenhouse gases than diesel-powered school buses and our research suggests that compared to a new diesel-burning school bus, a new electric school bus can save an average of $6,000 every year on operational expenditures, depending on circumstances.



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What Are The Disadvantages Of Electric School Buses? The two biggest disadvantages are cost and range.

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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.

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The lifespan of an electric bus can vary depending on several factors, such as the quality of the bus and battery technology, maintenance practices, and operating conditions. On average, electric buses have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years, which is comparable to conventional diesel buses.

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On average, diesel buses use 6 miles per gallon [mpg], while electric buses boost that efficiency to an equivalent of 17 mpg. Electric school buses can save more than $170,000 on fuel and maintenance throughout their lifespan.

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Electric buses can save cities up to $170,000 per unit — here's how to vie for them in your area. Swapping one diesel bus for an electric one reduces human health costs by $150,000 per year. Standard diesel-sucking buses are actually some of the most eco-friendly ways to travel when compared to planes and cars.

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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.

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They're responsible for significantly lower levels of greenhouse gases than diesel-powered school buses and our research suggests that compared to a new diesel-burning school bus, a new electric school bus can save an average of $6,000 every year on operational expenditures, depending on circumstances.

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Previous studies considering battery electric bus operation and charging optimisation have assumed battery life of 8 years, (Wang et al., 2017), 9 years (Lee et al., 2021), 12 years (Li, Lo and Xiao, 2019) 3,000 charge/discharge cycles (Ke et al., 2020).

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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.

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Even the most recent electric bus models only get up to 225 miles per charge, depending on the weather and local terrain. This means they need to recharge about once a day—for up to several hours depending on how much battery they've used—which can really impair the efficiency of a public transportation system.

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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.

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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.

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As the charge points have a maximum power capacity of 100 kW, most vehicles are fully charged after 4 hours.

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Electric school buses can travel 100 miles or more on a single charge. That's more than enough for the average route.

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Pros of the Electric Bus
  • They're better for the environment. ...
  • It's cheaper to run and maintain an electric bus. ...
  • Electric buses are more convenient. ...
  • They have a higher upfront cost. ...
  • Electric buses have a limited range.


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Additionally, commitments from California and major transit hubs, including New York City and Seattle, to go 100 percent electric with their bus fleets have led to estimates that electric buses will make up one-third of the national fleet by 2045.

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The evidence on total carbon emissions is also clear: even when accounting for emissions from electricity production, electric school buses generate considerably fewer greenhouse gas emissions than buses that run on propane or diesel.

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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.

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