Franklin Pierce Schools is unveiling the first all-electric school bus in the state of Washington, which will be test-driven by Gov. Jay Inslee today, reported KIRO7.
Students, parents and state leaders are being invited to the Franklin Pierce High School Stadium to watch Gov. Inslee drive laps around the stadium in the new bus. The test drive is reportedly part of a pilot program. If all goes well, the school district wants to replace all of its diesel buses with the electric alternative.
The bus reportedly features a custom education dashboard that shows the energy savings in real-time.
Tacoma Public Utilities is helping the district develop an infrastructure that would work if the district transitions to all-electric school buses, noted KIRO7, while the vehicle was purchased with $330,000 in TransAlta Centralia Coal Transition Grants.
The exact make of the bus was not announced, but the district’s website used a flyer that features an all-electric Blue Bird school bus.
