New Jersey Program Will Electrify School Buses Across the State
Love them or hate them, there are quite a few use cases in which an EV is the ideal vehicle. Public transportation, route deliveries, and school buses are great examples of vehicle types that would benefit from electrification, and New Jersey is putting money behind that thought to send electric school buses to 18 school districts.
The state recently touted a three-year pilot project with a $45 million investment behind it. School districts can get up to $50,000 for buses with bi-directional charging capabilities that could share power with schools. Beyond their generator capabilities, the buses will reduce noise and air pollution that come with diesel models.
The neat part of this project is that the buses will be used to power school buildings during off-peak hours. New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection said it is holding webinars to educate school officials and alleviate confusion around the efforts.
Though it is pushing for the electrification of school bus fleets in the state, the NJ DEP has also been working with districts to implement filtration systems for existing fossil fuel-powered buses. It said it has retrofitted more than 7,000 buses in the state with cabin ventilation systems, which it noted should reduce the risk of asthma, lung cancer, and other diesel particulate-related health issues.
[Image: Sealandskyphoto via Shutterstock]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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The cost if our busing program is 6.2 million for our average size district in NJ. It was 3.5 last year.
Is New Jersey better than Old Jersey?
Why America needs school buses altogether? When I was in school, I rode on a regular city bus
If it wasn't for the senior property tax freeze in NJ I might complain about this raising my property taxes since most of that tax goes to the schools . I'm not totally against EVs , but since I don't drive huge miles and like to maintain my own vehicles they are not practical especially since I keep a new vehicle long term and nobody has of yet run into the cost of replacing the battery on an EV .