More kids are riding electric school buses this fall
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
More students than ever are headed to class in an electric school bus this fall as school districts race to take advantage of unprecedented government funding to replace their diesel fleets.
Why it matters: Exhaust from diesel buses is linked to serious health and development conditions for children, especially in low-income communities.
- The growing electric bus movement, fueled by a plethora of state and federal incentives, promises to reduce tailpipe emissions and improve kids' health, too.
- Electric school buses can also act as giant batteries to store surplus energy when not in use. That means cash-strapped districts can earn money from their parked buses by selling power back to the grid during times of peak demand.
Where it stands: Almost 235,000 U.S. students currently ride electric school buses, according to the World Resources Institute, whose Electric School Bus Initiative closely tracks adoption rates.
- That's still a tiny fraction of the 21 million kids who take the bus to school in the U.S. each day.
- More than 90% of current buses run on gasoline or diesel fuel. Most others run on propane or compressed natural gas.
State of play: Congress set aside $5 billion over five years to replace diesel-burning school buses under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- The Clean School Bus Program, administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, prioritizes school districts in low-income, rural and Tribal communities.
- So far, the EPA has spent $2.8 billion to fund more than 8,000 electric school buses.
- Nearly 1,300 school districts in 49 states, four U.S. territories, Washington D.C., and 55 Tribal communities received funding, and many more are in line for awards in future years.
By the numbers: There are roughly 12,000 committed electric school buses in the U.S., including those funded, ordered or delivered, as well as the ones currently on the road.
- That's 2.5% of the roughly 493,000 school buses in the U.S.
- An electric school bus costs about $370,000, more than triple the price of a traditional diesel bus.
- While the lifetime savings on fuel and maintenance averages $100,000, the remaining price gap would be unsurmountable for many school districts without government subsidies.
Follow the money: The EPA's Clean School Bus Program has funded about two-thirds of the 12,000 committed electric buses.
- Many states offer generous rebates, too, including California, Colorado, New York, Connecticut and others.
- Some local utilities also provide financial incentives to support school bus electrification.
- Another $40,000 rebate for electric commercial vehicles, including school buses, was included in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
- Add it all up and electric school buses are practically free.
Yes, but: The arrival of electric buses has stirred controversy in some communities, where EVs have been politicized.
The intrigue: New technology — whether it's electric cars or the latest smartphones — often starts with wealthy early adopters.
- But in this case, the cleanest, most advanced school buses in America are being deployed primarily in districts with low-income households in non-white neighborhoods that also have the worst pollution, per WRI.
- One example: Salt Lake City used a combination of state and federal funding to buy 12 electric buses, deployed mostly in its Rose Park neighborhood, which is less affluent and suffers disproportionately from poor air quality.
What we're watching: With just two years left in the Clean School Bus Program, the question is whether the next Congress will extend the funding so more diesel school buses can be retired.
