Do electric school buses make sense?

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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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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With lower fuel expenses, maintenance costs and record funding available to offset purchase costs, the total cost of owning an electric school bus can be hundreds of thousands of dollars less than for a diesel-burning bus.

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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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Blue Bird's electric school buses can travel up to 120 miles on a single charge. With intentional planning, drivers should never have to worry about being stranded due to a drained battery. Since electric buses can now travel farther than ever before, they are a practical option to consider.

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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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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 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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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.

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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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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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The buses cost about £400,000 to £450,000 each, about 40 per cent more than a conventional diesel or hybrid double decker.

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