Blue Bird Corporation (Nasdaq: BLBD) got the single largest order of electric school buses to date from the second-largest public school system in the US.
The Los Angeles Unified School District ordered 180 electric school buses, adding to the 26 Blue Bird electric school buses it already has in its fleet. The unprecedented order will help the school district transition the first of several depots – the Sun Valley Bus Yard – to 100% electric by 2026.
This school district says this latest electric school bus purchase is expected to save a yearly average of $10,000 per bus in maintenance and fuel costs compared to diesel school buses, for a total savings of $2 million annually.
Blue Bird will add 30 Vision and 150 All American (pictured above) electric buses to Los Angeles’ school bus fleet.
Both models use the Cummins PowerDrive 7000 powertrain system with a battery capacity of 196 kW and a range of up to 130 miles on a single charge. The LA school district expects the buses to take between three hours at Level 3 and eight hours at Level 2 to recharge fully using Sun Valley’s future charging infrastructure.
Blue Bird electric buses also come standard with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability, which will allow the school district to potentially sell excess energy stored in school bus batteries back to electric utilities at a profit. The V2G capability will also help balance the grid.
Delivery of the first buses will be in October 2024, and the order is expected to be fulfilled in early 2025.
Top comment by Triangulatorr
I love the V2G. I would think a lot of school busses are idle during the summer when there aren't as many (or any) field trips, and a lot of schools have solar panels installed, so some smart SW to charge the buses then the grid doesn't need the solar then discharge them when it does ....
Read more: This new electric school bus has a 300-mile range
Photo: Los Angeles Unified School District
If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –ad*
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments