California and CALSTART Are Leading Nationwide School Bus Electrification

At EVinfo.net, electric school buses are one of our favorite topics. They transport our children, our most precious cargo, to school without emitting harmful greenhouse gases (GHGs), a major component of climate change. Their use also educates our children about the many benefits of electric mobility. California is the current leader in school bus electrification. Industry-leading transportation electrification nationwide nonprofit consortium CALSTART is leading the effort in electrifying California’s school bus fleet, as well as across the United States.

California, the leader in electric mobility in the U.S.

California is the largest U.S. electric car market with about 10% of all new car sales in the country, as of 2022. As the most highly populated U.S. state, it enjoys year-round warm weather, which is beneficial to EV driving. There are also many incentives, offered by a variety of agencies, to assist buyers with going electric. Furthermore, the population tends to be more progressive and open to adopting new technologies. California, along with many European countries, has set a deadline for stopping sales of new gas-powered passenger vehicles by 2035.

California is the leading state on school bus electrification

Up to 2022, California has spent $1.2 billion on school bus electrification. $255 million was spent in 2022. A plan is in place to spend another $1.8 billion on school bus electrification within the next 5 years. So far, The state of California has ordered about 1,800 electric school buses. There are currently more than 560 on the road today.

A report published in October 2022 by CARB, in collaboration with the California Energy Commission, demonstrates how the state is electrifying its school bus fleet at a rapid pace, more than any other state. According to leading EV adoption nonprofit CALSTART, 888 zero-emission school buses have been awarded, ordered, or deployed in states other than California, as of 2021.

According to CARB, electric school buses comprise 2% of California’s fleet of 23,800 school buses in 2022. Over half of CA’s school bus fleet is powered by diesel. Below is a breakdown by fuel type.

Current CA school buses by fuel type as of 2022:

• 52% Diesel
• 26% Gasoline & Flexible
• 14% CNG
• 6% Propane
• 2% Hybrid & Electric

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) known as the “clean air agency” of California

Emissions standards throughout the US transportation sector are governed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The California Air Resources Board (CARB or ARB) is run by the state of California and is known as the “clean air agency” of California. California has some of the strictest requirements when it comes to smog and emissions. California is unique, in that it is the only state permitted to issue emissions standards under the federal Clean Air Act. CARB was established in 1967 as a department within the California Environmental Protection Agency. States that have joined with CA’s clean air standards include Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Washington D.C.

The goals of CARB include maintaining healthy air quality

One of CARB’s responsibilities is to define vehicle emissions standards. The agency also protects the public from exposure to toxic contaminants in the air and creates innovative programs for complying with air pollution regulations. CARB has driven innovation throughout the global mobility industry through programs such as its Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program.

California Air Resources Board and CALSTART reopen HVIP incentives for clean trucks and buses

The California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) reopened to new voucher requests in March 2022. The project is managed by CALSTART. Over $400 million was made available, representing the largest funding round in HVIP history.

The program includes:

• $65.5 million for public transit buses
• Approximately $40 million for drayage trucks
• $122 million for public school buses

John Boesel, President, and Chief Executive Officer of CALSTART, said: “HVIP is the leading incentive funding project in California for heavy-duty fleets that seek to transition to zero-emissions vehicles. We hope that other states will continue to build upon the example we’ve set to pursue their own clean air commitments.”

Electric school buses can be important for energy storage and grid flexibility

Aside from addressing the critical matters of air pollution, the health of children, and climate change, electric school buses can also be critical tools for energy storage and grid flexibility. In November 2022, EVinfo.net posted an article about the benefits of V2G and smart charging. The article mentions a partnership between Nuvve and Blue Bird, in which Blue Bird’s electric buses in the Ramona, California Unified School District are powered by Nuvve’s DC fast chargers. The program allows feeding power back into the grid from the buses when needed, and reduced usage to help avoid grid outages during peak electricity usage periods.

EPA awards $980,000 for cleaner school buses in California in 2022

In March 2022, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of two national competitions to support school districts to transition to cleaner school buses. One program was the 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP) Electric School Bus Rebates. The other program was the 2021 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) for School Bus Rebates.

These two rebate efforts total approximately $17 million in combined funding nationwide. They allow for the replacement of older, high-polluting diesel school buses. In the state of California, Terra Bella Union Elementary, Big Sur Unified School District, Center Joint Unified School District, and Greenfield Union School District are set to receive rebates totaling $980,000 going toward 12 cleaner school buses.

Replacing these buses will dramatically improve air quality near schools and their communities, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and the effects of climate change. Another benefit is to better protect children’s health.

CALSTART, a nationwide leader in transportation electrification

CALSTART has completed a significant and very impressive number of EV projects, as one of the leading, largest, and longest-established nonprofits committed to electrification of the transportation sector, with a goal of fighting climate change. For more than 27 years, the organization has pushed forward many programs that accelerate innovation, grow the electric vehicle market, create jobs in the electric vehicle sector, and reduce pollution.

With offices in New York, Michigan, Colorado and California, CALSTART partners with over 210 members, which are all innovators in the clean transportation sector. Developing clean, efficient transportation solutions is the mutual goal that the partners work on together with CALSTART. The organization collaborates with businesses, organizations, and governments both nationally and internationally.