An electric school bus charging in its parking lot in Beverly, Mass. A green light on the dashboard signals to the driver he can hit the accelerator. The bus resembles a traditional gas- or diesel-powered bus, yellow exterior and all, with the exception of the lettering on the hood that says"high voltage.
by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, that would remove 5.3 million tons of greenhouse gases from the air.Beverly Public Schools has two electric buses in its 48-vehicle fleet, and has plans to acquire three more this spring. The 4,600-student district was among the first in Massachusetts to start phasing in the cleaner, quieter vehicles several years ago.
Dana Cruikshank, the transportation director at Beverly Public Schools, said he can tell the difference right away. The company sources private capital to buy the electric buses. They then lease them to school districts at the same cost districts pay for diesel vehicles. While this seems like a money-losing prospect, company leaders say it is actually profitable, because electric buses are about 30% to 50% cheaper to run and maintain over the course of their 15-year useful life span."The more we can get school buses on the road the more the market grows and the technology cost goes down," she said.
In New England, environmental groups are using clean air regulations to exert legal pressure on large school bus operators to gradually phase in electric buses.