CORONA, Calif. — In school, students learn about the environment and the effects of pollution on their world. They take classes that explain today’s challenges with greenhouse gasses and climate change while attending recycling drives on the weekend.
But their transit to school and field trips are in stark contrast to their teachings—arriving at their destination in poorly tuned vehicles that make them part of the environmental problem, not the solution.
Today, a number of school districts around the country have begun converting these exhaust emitting diesel-powered school buses to all-electric propulsion. ADOMANI’s electrification drive system eliminates harmful exhaust emissions, removes the need to purchase expensive diesel fuel and reduces vehicle maintenance costs due to fewer moving components and fluid changes.
Funding for these conversions comes in many forms, the Fontana Unified School District, one of 11 school districts in Southern California Edison’s (SCE) service territory, which recently received funding for ADOMANI school bus electrification program from the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the California Air Resources Board. The result: these school districts are practicing what they preach in the classroom.
ADOMANI’s electrification system replaces the inefficient internal combustion engine with clean electric power while retaining key vehicle elements within the school bus including the transmission, drivetrain and other accessory drives that power electrical, comfort and safety systems.
On a typical school day, the buses travel about 100 miles taking students from home to school and back, as well as on field trips. ADOMANI electrified buses can drive up to 120 miles per charge. The schools have also been provided with technical assistance and guidance to support the rollout of the buses and the installation of charging stations by CALSTART, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the clean transportation industry.
Lilia Lopez, who has two children at Beech Elementary, added, “We live in such a beautiful city, but we have such bad air quality. So, it’s really good that the school district decided to get electric buses. It really helps the environment and there are a lot of kids who have asthma. It helps with their health and air quality.”
“We believe it is important to provide our California schoolchildren with the cleanest buses possible, as soon as possible,” said Kevin Leong, program manager at CALSTART. Edison International, the parent company of SCE, provided a $75,000 grant to CALSTART for the program. The grant was instrumental in the completion of the charging infrastructure at the schools’ transit yard sites. As part of the grant, CALSTART helped and supported the school districts by developing a tool kit that made it easier to roll out the buses.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District, through its Carl Moyer Program, provided $8.8 million to purchase 33 battery-electric, zero-emission buses and charging infrastructure for 16 public school districts and two charter schools in Southern California. The schools also received additional funding through the California Air Resources Board’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project. These funds further offset the cost of buying electric buses.
“At Edison International and SCE, we are committed to helping the communities we serve. Transportation contributes to nearly 40 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions and almost 80 percent of its air pollution. So, it’s important for us to support programs, such as CALSTART’s. It will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels,” said Lisa Woon, SCE’s principal manager of Corporate Philanthropy. “The schools and children that will benefit from this grant are located in areas with some of the worst air quality in the nation.”
About ADOMANI
ADOMANI, Inc. is a provider of zero-emission all-electric and hybrid drivetrain systems for integration into new school buses and medium to heavy-duty commercial fleet vehicles, as well as repower conversion kits for the replacement of drivetrain systems in combustion-powered vehicles. ADOMANI is focused on reducing the total cost of vehicle ownership and helps fleet operators unlock the benefits of green technology. In addition, ADOMANI helps address the challenges of traditional fuel price instability and local, state and federal environmental regulatory compliance. ADOMANIelectric.com
