The Electrification Coalition (EC) today announced that with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Clean School Bus Program will allocate $5 billion over five years (FY 2022-2026) to help replace existing school buses with zero-emission and clean school buses. Last week, several Florida school districts were awarded funding to advance toward this goal, signaling a move to electric school buses and necessary charging infrastructure. The districts receiving funding are:
Miami Dade: 50
Duval: 25
Hillsborough: 20
Orange: 20
Columbia: 6
Mary Linn, Florida campaign organizer for the EC said, “The Sunshine State is one step closer to cleaner air and a more secure and resilient power grid. As more school districts switch to electric, the EC is happy to support fleets in the implementation of these awards. Electric buses are now running from the top of the state, in rural Columbia County and Duval County (Jacksonville), to the bottom of the state in Miami, and from east to west with Orange County (Orlando) to Hillsborough County (Tampa).”
According to Electrification Coalition Executive Director Ben Prochazka, “There are nearly half a million school buses in the U.S., transporting 26 million children to and from school. They are highly inefficient, with 90% running on diesel and getting as few as six miles per gallon. Electrifying our nation’s school bus fleet represents an important opportunity to end our oil dependency, saving 2.3 billion gallons of fuel and more than $6 billion annually. School buses are generally on the road for 12-15 years, so each electric school bus that replaces a diesel bus will have a great impact over its lifetime.
Not only will electric school buses reduce our oil dependency, but they will also protect our most vulnerable Americans. For too long, our children have been breathing dangerous emissions from diesel school buses every day as they travel to and from school. Today’s announcement from the Biden-Harris administration will ensure that some seven million students at 372 school districts will soon be riding quiet, cleaner school buses.
“Electric school buses benefit students through reduced emissions, benefit schools through lower fuel and operating costs, and benefit America by reducing our dependence on oil and creating new manufacturing jobs. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, along with the Inflation Reduction Act, is accelerating transportation electrification and making the U.S. a leader in the global shift to electric vehicles. We applaud the Biden-Harris administration and the members of Congress who passed this important legislation and the Environmental Protection Agency for their role in implementing this historic law.”
The Electrification Coalition offers many resources to help school districts looking to electrify their school buses, including the total cost of ownership DRVE Tool, EV Funding Finder, and a recent webinar on the Clean School Bus Rebate Program. Applications for the second round of the Clean School Bus Rebate Program are currently open, and interested school districts can apply until 4 p.m. on January 31, 2024.
About the Electrification Coalition:
The Electrification Coalition is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes policies and actions to facilitate the widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) on a mass scale to overcome the economic, public health and national security challenges that stem from America’s dependence on oil.
