Posted on 12/19/2022 10:45:23 AM PST by george76
Federal and state governments are practically giving away electric school buses, and if your local district doesn't have its hand up yet, it should.
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diesel buses emit greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
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The catch: An electric school bus costs $350,000 to $450,000 — three to four times a traditional diesel bus — and most districts can't afford the upfront expense, despite the long-term savings.
What's happening: A bunch of new government incentives make replacing aging diesel fleets an easy call.
The five-year, $5 billion Clean School Bus Program, approved in November 2021 as part of the infrastructure law and run by the Environmental Protection Agency, pays school districts up to $375,000 to replace a diesel bus with an electric one. The government offers another $20,000 for charging infrastructure, for a total of $395,000 per bus purchased. In October, EPA awarded the program's first $1 billion to fund about 2,500 school bus replacements in nearly 400 districts.
Priority was given to low-income, rural and tribal communities like Dearborn, Michigan, near Detroit, which took delivery of its first electric school bus last week and expects to buy 18 more with a $7.1 million federal grant. 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. Congress included another $40,000 rebate for commercial vehicles, including school buses, in the Inflation Reduction Act, signed in August. The best part: All these grants and rebates can be layered, which means the savings can really add up.
"All of a sudden, schools are looking at free, or more-than-free, school buses," says Tim Reeser, CEO of Lightning eMotors, which makes electric powertrains. The intrigue: Could school districts take advantage of all these incentives to profit on bus electrification?
It's possible, but it depends on how the rules of each program are applied. Don't expect EPA to reimburse school systems more than the cost of a bus. EPA says further guidance is expected soon from the Treasury Department. And besides, there are other costs associated with electrification, such as new charging stations or potential electrical upgrades. The bottom line: School bus manufacturers are rapidly scaling up production to meet surging demand.
"We've absolutely seen a groundswell in applications and the number of schools who were interested in electric buses who historically were not," says Britton Smith, Blue Bird's senior vice president of electrification and chief strategy officer. "It's really changed the game."
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Repeat the lie ad nauseum. Present it as truth with no argument.
There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch
I’d like a “choice” about my money being confiscated to give away free sh!t.
Yeah but do they have seatbelts?
Sure, they are free, but hey school districts - you are ON YOUR OWN on charging stations, electricity costs, and especially repairs, and disposal.
A waste of money and danger to children.
Burning buses, Drag parties, and secret sex changes, welcome to schooling, 21st century style!
I don’t meed a diesel school bus but the district won’t need them once they have the electric dream, so I may bid on one. I’ll sell it back to them when the dream fizzles.
I read yesterday ..
EV’s being banned in Europe in some parking garages due to weight.
Just how much will these school buses weigh ?
And what damage to roads will occur
Do electric busses weigh twice diesel ones? How’s this on rural bridges?
The weight of an EV school bus will be so much that the kids will BE SAFER. Bus will just ‘plow’ right through anything it hits in any accident.
Scam
After the accident all the evidence will go up in smoke.
That WON’T buff right out.
This subject will be banned on facebook — need I tell you why.
Free is never really free .
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