CLEAN, GREEN YELLOW (SCHOOL BUS) MACHINE
In Sacramento, California, the Twin Rivers, Elk Grove and Sacramento City Unified School Districts are receiving 29 total electric school buses along with associated charging infrastructure, which demonstrates a zero-emissions school transportation market that despite still being in its infancy is growing up fast.
Twin Rivers Unified School District is upbeat about the purchase. It will bring buses with zero emissions against the new federal regulations as well as the tough state requirements of California. Tim Hooks, director of transportation for Twin Rivers, said the district is receiving a total of 16 electric school buses, with eight already in the fleet.
The first eight are eLion all-electric school buses manufactured by Canadian company Lion Bus. The remainder are TransTech Type-A school buses with electric drives provided by Motiv Power Systems.
“Currently we have a temporary infrastructure that will charge five buses at a time,” he added. “We are working with our local power company to upgrade infrastructure.”
Funded in-part by a grant from the California Air Resources Board, the project is touted as the largest U.S. deployment of zero-emission school buses to date, to provide sustainable transportation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is representative of what the industry is likely to see more of over the next decade as manufacturers, dealers, technology providers and school transporters respond to the impending Phase 2 federal Greenhouse Gas Emission regulations, which, barring any governmental delay or repeal, target a reduction in NOx emissions to the 0.02 g/bhp-hr standard. It is set to go into effect in next year.
The regulations aim to achieve long-standing goals to lower overall emissions from diesel engines. In short, Phase 2 mandates manufacturers and dealers of buses and associated technology to offer the specified power of the bus with more efficient and clean technology. Technologies have been introduced to use less fuel, burn cleaner alternative fuels, or consume no fuel at all via electric power.
The regulation took effect by executive order of President Obama. However, the possibility exists that it could be repealed by the new administration. President Trump ordered a review of fuel efficiency standards for cars in mid-March, implying that such regulation serves as an obstacle to automobile manufacturing and jobs.
Footing the Bill
For schools, however, new technology and especially new buses are costly. Funding assistance for new technology and new assets, though limited, is available from several sources.
Joe Annotti is a consultant with Gladstein, Neandross and Associates, which specializes in market development for low-emission and alternative fuel vehicle technologies, infrastructure and fuels for both on- and off-road applications. Annotti, a former U.S. EPA staffer who was a chief architect of the National Clean Diesel Rebate Program, speaks of two principal sources of funding to replace aging buses.
The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) was passed by Congress as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 with the goal of reducing diesel exhaust from older engines used in on- Clean, Green Yellow (School Bus) Machine: