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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