IC Bus chargE Electric School Bus Goes on Tour

March 23, 2018

The new electric school bus from IC Bus is making its first stop on a West Coast tour in California.

Attendees at the California Association of School Transportation Officials (CASTO) State Board of Directors 50^th Annual Meeting this weekend in San Diego hosts the IC Bus chargE concept vehicle. It’s the first opportunity for the industry to examine the school bus since it was unveiled at the National Association for Pupil Transportation Summit in November.

The chargE will visit 10 cities in all, including Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle, over the coming months.

“We’re excited to showcase our electric school bus with industry stakeholders on the west coast and throughout the country,” said Trish Reed, VP/GM of IC Bus. “Our electric school bus is another example of how IC Bus is driving the future of school bus transportation. In addition to providing our customers with an electric school bus vehicle, we’re focused on giving them a total electric transportation solution.”

The chargE was developed in conjunction with Volkswagen Truck & Bus, a strategic partner of IC Bus parent company Navistar. The chargE, which IC said is the only fully integrated electric school bus that is currently in development, incorporates an electric drivetrain that operates quietly, produces zero emissions and can be custom built to customer requirements. IC Bus officials said the bus has a range that exceeds 120 miles on a single charge with a powertrain that delivers up to 260 kW, or 349 hp.

The chargE also includes camera technology, connected systems and remote diagnostics that support vehicle safety, uptime and more efficient vehicle inspections.

“Taking chargE out on the road and visiting communities across America is at the heart of what we do here at IC Bus,” noted Reed. “While we will showcase the latest technology and innovation that helps to make the job of a driver easier and more satisfying, we will listen to our customers and use their feedback to help us further inform and enhance our design and product. It’s part of a philosophy that we call DriverFirst.”

IC Bus said the production versions of the chargE will be available by late 2019 or early 2020.