First all-electric school bus fleet in the US to power 300 homes
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Battery-operated school buses in Oakland, California, are anticipated to reduce emissions and provide sufficient electricity to power at least 300 homes.
A recent report from the American Lung Association found that Alameda County, home to Oakland, ranks among the areas with the worst air pollution in the United States.
The buses are projected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 25,000 tons annually in Oakland. This is especially significant because 72% of public school students in the city are from low-income families, who bear the brunt of pollution from the busy port, truck traffic, and factories.
“School bus electrification can really play an important role in making our air healthier for everyone, especially children,” Harold Wimmer, chief executive officer of the American Lung Association, said Wednesday during a webinar on electric school buses.
Also read: Logistics company tests first-ever electric transport for long-distance deliveries
Most of the 480,000 school buses in the US are powered by diesel fuel, and as the World Resources Institute reported, low-income students make up 60% of the 20 million children they transport daily.
Although heavy-duty trucks, which include school buses, make up only 6% of vehicles in the US, they contribute 59% of pollution from road transportation.
Also read: EU approves law to cut CO2 from heavy-duty vehicles
California’s 2023 school bus law also extends the maximum contract term for zero-emission buses between a school district and a private operator to 15 years from five.
According to Vivek Garg, Zūm’s co-founder and chief operating officer, this assurance of longer contracts will simplify the process of securing financing for electric buses.
Starting in August, the 74 vehicles will also provide 2.1 gigawatt-hours of electricity to the Bay Area power grid, sufficient to power 300 to 400 homes.
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