District slow to try electric school buses
By: William Westhoven
Morristown Daily Record
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... As New Jersey's kids head back to class, the school buses they ride are slowly getting safer for their lungs, and for the environment.
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Touting studies that point to reduced pollution an long-term savings, environmentalists say the future is now for alternative-fuel school buses. The U.S. and state governments, meanwhile, are offering incentives to help school districts switch to electric or propane=fueled fleets, that two main alternatives to traditional diesel.
..... "Right now, this generation of schoolkids should be the last generation in New Jersey that breathes in diesel fumes," said Doug O'Malley, state director of Environment New Jersey, part of the nonprofit Public Interest Network.
..... Yet despite the availability of billions of dollars in state and federal grants, the roll-out has been slow in the Garden state. There are only about 20 electric school buses currently in use in New Jersey, O'Malley estimated, though 200 are under order.
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For school districts, the choice isn't always simple. electric buses can cost two to three times as much as diesel versions, a discrepancy exacerbated by global supply chain delays. Propane buses are less expensive, but they account for about twice as many greenhouse gas emissions as electric models, even though they're better for the climate than diesel.
..... In Morris County, the Randolph school district is ahead of the curve with a full fleet of propone-powered buses it has accumulated since 2011. The district was the focus of a manufacturer's case study that indicated Randolph is saving on fuel and maintenance bills while lessening children's exposure to harmful diesel fumes.
..... But in nearby Denville, officials are still deciding whether to accept a $400,000 federal grant the K-8 district won to purchase two electric school buses.
..... "We want to do it,: superintendent Stephen Forte said of Denville's commitment to cleaning up its fleet. "We're trying to do it, but there are a decent amount of roadblocks. The infrastructure costs are much higher than expected."
Clean School Bus incentives
..... Federal officials seem eager to support the push for zero-emissions and low-emission transportation alternatives. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed three years ago allocates $5 billion for alternative-fuel school buses.
..... New Jersey meanwhile, has doubled down on electrifying school buses. Enacted late last year, [2023] the state's electric School Bus Program provided $45 million to help districts transition their fleets.
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Last month, [08/2024] governor Phil Murphy signed another law that would make it cheaper for school systems to convert. The bill allows districts to extend lease and purchase terms for electric school buses over the service life of the bus. It also authorized the New Jersey School Boards Association to facilitate the transition by aggregating costs for individual districts.
Electric vs. diesel, who wins?
..... Environment New Jersey favors the elective option, praising it as the cleanest fuel source and the only "zero-emissions" option available.
..... "There's no better time than now for school districts to buy electric school buses, because you have such a wide selection of federal and state grants that will allow school districts tot est the waters with their transition," O'Malley said.
..... The next round of Clean School Bus awards should be announced "shortly," he said.
..... Despite higher upfront costs, O'Malley said the move to electric buses will accomplish the crustal goal of eliminating diesel fumes, especially for students and drivers.
..... He cited a 2014 study by the University of Delaware that estimated a savings of $230,000 pr bus over a 14-year life span compared with diesel. That took into account both the costs of climate change and the adverse health effects association with diesel pollution, as well as the potential for districts to sell power back to the gird when electric buses are not in use.
..... "Ultimately this is about kids' health," O'Malley said. "The classic childhood memories of breathing in those diesel fumes should be exactly that - something from the past generation."
Pros for propane buses
..... In Randolph, the district's propane-fueled fleet of 36 buses has reduced fuel costs by 50% according to a case study by Roush CleanTech, a Michigan-based company that develops propane-fueled technology for commercial vehicles and school buses.
..... The district's transportation department also noted quieter rides and reduced maintenance costs, and less time was required to warm up the engines in the winter compared with diesel engines, Roush said. It spent $38,000 to add a propane storage tank to its lot.
..... "What started with Randolph Township addressing emission requirements led to myriad benefits for the district, including student health, reduced costs, ease of maintenance, less noise and no harsh orders," the report said.
.....But another case study, by the U.S. Energy Department, concluded that savings from propane buses over diesel were less dramatic. Fuel economy for propane vehicles "is close to that of comparable diesel vehicles, on an energy-equivalent bases," the author wrote.
.... Still, the study said that could change. "New propane engine technology is showing potential efficiency improvement over older engines, the Energy Department said. The fleets including in this study have not encountered any significant technical or management hurdles associated with the deployment of propane buses, and most of them are exploring ways to expand their sue of propose in the future."
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Overall there are about 1.3 million propane fueled school buses operating across the United States, Roush said. The World Resources Institute, an environmental group, said more than 12,000 electric school buses are either in sue or on order in the U.S.
Why one district has hesitated
..... Denville has until November 29 [2024] to accept its $400,000 grant and commit to the added upfront cost of electric school buses and infrastructure. Forte stressed that the district "wants to do it" but "we have to do it when it makes sense."
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"Two electric buses cost almost $900.000 while two diesels are about $300,000," he estimated, adding that the district would have to spend $250,000 more for the charger technology.
..... Supply chain issues and inflation make it hard to calculate current costs, but O'Malley agreed that electric school bus purchases can run tow to three times higher than diesel.
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The location of Denville's school bus depot - in a flood zone along River Road that took on water after storms in December [2023] and January [2024] - is another "roadblock,: Forte said.
..... "It's not a good place for a charger," he said. "we're still figuring this out. It's a challenge to make it all make sense."