Edison International recently announced a partnership with CALSTART that brought electric buses to several school districts throughout Southern California.
When students returned from the holiday break, they were greeted with all-electric, battery-run school buses. According to the article, these buses are free of emissions and much quieter. Several students/parents expressed how environmentally friendly they are and the impact these buses will have. They can also reach 120 miles per charge, which is about one day’s route, according to the article.
Edison International provided a $75,000 grant to CALSTART, which is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the clean transportation industry, for the program. The grant was contingent on the completion of charging stations at the schools’ transit yard sites, which CALSTART installed.
Fontana Unified School District is one of the 11 school districts in Southern California that was selected to receive funding for the electric buses. The schools were selected by the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the California Air Resources Board. Both of these organizations also provided grant money to the school districts, to help offset the cost of buying the electric buses.
The schools and children receiving this grant are located in areas with the worst air quality in the nation, Edison officials indicated. It is expected that these buses will not only reduce air pollution, but save in maintenance costs.
