FCPS is working on purchasing electric buses after they were awarded $16.59 million for electric buses on Jan. 9 from the EPA to continue the school bus electrification program.
Holden Louie, a seventh-grader in Champions, thinks that a one bus at a time approach could be a good strategy.
“Maybe FCPS can strike deals for electric buses,” Holden said.
The fossil fuel buses that FCPS has make up the majority of the school buses in the fleet. The total number of buses is 1,625, yet only eight of them are electric so far. Ten more were stated to have been added in 2022, but it’s unclear whether they’re in service.
Because FCPS is committed to making all school buses electric by 2035, the low electric bus numbers make some worried if it’s possible.
Hojin Yoo, another seventh-grader in the Champions team, is unsure about the effectiveness of electric school buses.
“It’s worth at least a try,” Hojin said about the electric bus program.
Electric buses cost over $368,000, which is roughly three times more expensive than diesel buses. Each electric bus costs an additional $10,000- $30,000 for infrastructure such as charging stations, which can take up to a year to install.
Avan Gupta, a seventh-grader of the Legacy team, thinks that the price difference between the models isn’t worth it especially after the wage increases for bus drivers during the pandemic.
“It would be good for us students, but money wise, if it’s a low budget, they might not be able to do it,” Avan said.
Reducing one diesel bus will reduce gas emissions by 54,000 pounds. The electric engines are also much quieter than diesel buses, and the air quality inside a diesel bus is five times worse inside the bus than outside.
While electric buses cost more, they also reduce maintenance costs by 60% compared to their diesel counterparts. In a power outage, the Lithium-iron-phosphate batteries could be used for emergency power.
Diesel and gas buses also get a mileage of around 6 to 9 miles per gallon. That’s around a quarter of that of a 2024 Toyota Corolla. Electric buses, meanwhile, don’t use gas at all. They use around 150 kWh for 100 miles.
“It’s a good choice,” Hojin said about the electrification, “just concerned how effective it would be in replacing fossil fuel buses.”
Electric buses have a life expectancy of about 12 years, while diesel buses life expectancy can reach up to 15 years.
Electric buses have a range of 120-135 miles and can take up to three hours to charge up to a full battery, but diesel buses have a range of 270-510 miles and it only takes around 10 minutes to fill the fuel tank.
Despite the benefits of electric school buses, after-school specialist Mr. Riley Barrows isn’t sure if the buses are worth it.
“Does it really outweigh the cost difference?” he said.
When the batteries reach around 70% of their initial capacity, they will have to be disassembled, shipped (often as hazardous waste) and recycled.
Electric buses also have a higher chance of a fire breaking out than diesel buses due to the large battery of electric buses.
Additionally, bus crews need extra training on fire suppression, charging and other operations that aren’t present on diesel or gas models.
“It’s a good idea as long as they’re fully charged and can get the kids to and from the school on time,” Mr. Barrows said.
