Electrifying Student Transportation
Washington’s school districts are facing a game-changing opportunity to add electric school buses (ESBs) to their fleets. The Green Transportation Program (GTP) offers resources and guidance to help districts decide if this is the right time to pursue available funding.
Why electrify?
Health and environmental benefits of replacing diesel-fueled school buses with ESBs are clear. Diesel exhaust, a known carcinogen, is linked to serious physical health issues and cognitive development impacts. Students in some neighborhoods are disproportionately exposed to the dangers of diesel exhaust pollution. Electrifying school bus fleets can help address these health and environmental concern. Studies on health impacts from fossil-fueled buses are included in Webcasts and Case Studies.
Questions? GTP can help!
We invite school districts to contact us at greentransportation@energy.wsu.edu to discuss projects and challenges specific to your district. These materials are a great place to start:
- New! Electric School Bus Business Case Worksheet will help you get a handle on financial benefits and available incentives to help your school district transition to electric buses.
- Successful Deployment of Electric School Buses describes the types of questions we can answer for you, including calculating charging needs, determining where to install EV charging stations, which bus routes to electrify first, ESB models that could work well for your district, and working with your electric utility to assess electrical capacity.
- Electric School Bus Technical Workshop – Oct. 25, 2023
Co-hosted by the Green Transportation Program and the Washington Dept. of Ecology, this workshop covered the latest about ESB and charging technologies, lessons from school districts among the first in Washington to deploy ESBs, and cold weather and range concerns.
Contact us for free technical assistance.
What do you want to learn about?