State makes funds available for districts; answers questions around transition
By Chloe Bennett
Yellow school buses could soon be much greener in the Adirondacks. A state mandate to electrify school bus fleets will take effect in 2035, and officials are encouraging districts to flip the switch now.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority opened applications for all school districts to apply for help covering the cost of purchasing the vehicles. A new zero-emission school bus can amount to $400,000, about three times the cost of its combusting cousin.
As of today, a total of $500 million from the state and some $5 billion from the federal Environmental Protection Agency is meant to fill in the financial gaps.
Some schools are eligible for more money than others, including several in the Adirondack Park. Moriah, Raquette Lake, Saranac, Lowville and more are listed as priority districts, elevating their maximum funding eligibility.
Still, some estimates including one from Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, calculate the transition’s total cost well above the money available. In February, the senator said the electrification of school bus fleets could cost $20 billion. He also questioned manufacturers’ ability to keep up with demand following the mandate.
School districts in the Adirondacks have unanswered questions beyond funding. From battery capabilities in freezing weather to a lack of charging infrastructure, many school boards are pumping the brakes on the transition.
To get some answers, the Adirondack Explorer spoke with Nina Haiman, NYSERDA’s program manager of clean transportation. The interview has been slightly edited.
How do school districts apply for the funds?
Any public school district can apply to help cover the incremental cost difference between an electric and a gas or diesel bus. But also, we know that a lot of school districts contract with school bus contractors, so they don’t actually purchase the buses themselves. In those cases, the school bus contractors can apply for the funds.
We’ve had dozens of districts apply already for a couple hundred buses, but we still have lots of funding available, and we’re really encouraging people to put in their applications for both buses and chargers.
How much can each district receive? Is there a maximum amount?
In this first round, we’re saying the base amount that any district can apply for a small bus, a sort of mini bus, is $114,000 per bus. For a full-size, standard bus, it’s $156,000 per bus.
Priority districts can get about $30,000 more. If you scrap an old bus, a bus that’s just seven years old or older, and take it out of operation, you can get another $45,000 to $65,000.
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Pictured here and at top: An electric school bus in New York. Photo courtesy of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
What is your response to worries over a lack of charging infrastructure in the North Country?
From what we’re seeing, most districts, their existing depots have the ability to electrify a few buses with their existing capacity. They have the headroom at the existing depots right now.
The state’s electrical utilities are working very closely with state agencies and the Department of Public Service on preparing for this transition.
On the grid side, the electric utilities are working very hard to expand the capacity to get the chargers in place. And we have full confidence that we can make this happen.”
Some estimates of the transition show a total much higher need than the $500 million available. Do you anticipate more money becoming available? Where would the funding come from?
The $500 million and another $5 billion from the federal Environmental Protection Agency may be tapped.
And the total cost of ownership for electric school buses is coming down. It’s sort of reaching parity with internal combustion engine buses because the electrical buses are cheaper to own and to maintain. If you look at the life cycle cost of an electrical bus, you get closer to parity with a diesel or gas bus.
If you look at what’s been happening with personal electric vehicles over the last decade, you see those costs are coming down as the technology gets more widespread, and we anticipate the same thing to be happening on the electric school bus side.
Some people worry about e-bus performance in cold weather. Adirondack winters can drop well below zero. How do you address that concern?
Like gasoline or diesel buses, electrical buses do have to work harder in the cold weather. But the average New York State school bus travels 80 miles a day. These school bus batteries that are out there today, depending on the bus, can go 100, 200, some of them 300 miles on a single charge. And so even if it’s a really cold day and the bus doesn’t have its full battery range, you’re still able to accomplish most of these bus routes today.
This is why we are talking about an 11-year runway here. We’re not telling folks that we think every single route can be electrified tomorrow. What we’re saying is, most districts or all districts, a lot of their routes could be electrified today, even on the coldest days, so we want folks to start with those.
How do you know that the industry will keep up with demand?
In an email, a NYSERDA spokesperson said production of electric school buses from major manufacturers are ramping up. The agency doesn’t see a supply chain issue with the development of the buses.
How would you describe the benefits of these buses for the children riding them?
When you’re on an electric school bus, it’s kind of shocking to people how quiet it is and how there’s no smell. It’s very sort of visceral. We really want to get these buses out into communities so school districts and school children can actually see and experience this difference.
The particulate matter, the carbon monoxide, the nitrous oxide, all of those are coming out of the tailpipe emissions of a diesel or gasoline school bus. Especially when the bus is stopped, they are drifting back into the cabin of the bus when the bus is picking up and dropping off kids or stopped in traffic. And they are lingering within the bus and the students are breathing that.
Hybrid buses make much more sense, plug in even better.
But a E-bus, not in winter:
1) when sub-zero the charge times increase by many fold, meaning they won’t fully charge over night.
2) When extremely cold, batteries are vastly reduced in creating heat inside the bus for people. (every try to heat house with electric heater)
3) buses will be charged at night so charged from fossil fuels
4) where are they going to get technicians for very costly repairs on break-downs, and how long will it take to get replacement parts and service??
It would seem that plug in hybrids would be way smarter, cheaper, and still help reduce emissions.