California’s Moreno Valley Unified School District (MVUSD) has approved a plan to deploy 42 electric school buses and associated charging infrastructure. The new e-buses will serve more than 31,000 students at 42 schools. 

Illinois bus manufacturer IC Bus and dealership Creative Bus Sales will supply the 42-passenger IC electric buses. InCharge Energy, a provider of turnkey charging solutions for commercial fleets, will install and maintain 43 ABB TERRA 24 kW DC fast chargers. InCharge will begin work on the EV charging infrastructure in April, and the school district expects the buses to be in operation by the start of the new school year.

The school district says its new electric buses will eliminate more than 1.2 million pounds in carbon emissions across the Moreno Valley, which has an “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” rating on the Air Quality Index. It also expects to see a 75% cost savings on bus maintenance, fuel and operations.

InCharge Energy worked closely with MVUSD and Creative Bus Sales to secure grants and incentives from the federal government, the state of California and Southern California Edison. California’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program (HVIP) will provide vouchers for vehicles, hardware and installation. The school district also received funds from California’s Carl Moyer program as well a US EPA Airshed Grant. Southern California Edison will provide funding support from its Charge Ready program for necessary utility upgrades, EV chargers and installation.

“This electric bus project is vital to our students’ futures and it would not have been possible without the help of InCharge Energy, Creative Bus Sales and IC Bus,” said Jim Burleson, Director of Transportation for the Moreno Valley Unified School District. “We know children on school buses are exposed to five times more atmospheric pollutants, which puts them at risk of quite a few health conditions over time.” 

Source: InCharge Energy