AMHERST – The Amherst schools this fall will add an electric bus to their fleet after being named one of four districts in the state to receive a $400,000 pilot grant.
The buses now used to transport children to school, on field trips and to athletic contests depend on a constant supply of diesel gas for power.
But besides being expensive, even with the current low price of diesel, diesel engines can be costly to maintain over the 10- to 12-year life span of these buses.
The grant, which will pay for an electric school bus and charging station to be installed at the Amherst Regional Middle School, is also expected to demonstrate that this is a practical technology to reduce both fuel and maintenance costs, while being better for the environment and even serving as a potential backup power source for the school.
William Glucksman, a bus driver and trainer for the schools, said he is confident that electric buses can become mainstream in a few years. “I do see this as the future technology,” he added.
Glucksman said the grant was received through the state Department of Energy Resources’ Vehicle-to-Grid Electric School Bus pilot program. The money is distributed by the Clinton Global Initiative, a program of the foundation established by former President Bill Clinton.
“Amherst tends to be very proactive with green technology,” Glucksman said.
According to state officials, the pilot project, administered by the Vermont Energy Investment Corp., is intended to demonstrate that electric drive technology can reduce emissions in a transportation sector dependent on petroleum fuel. The goal is to cut down on petroleum use by about 22,680 gallons in the four districts receiving the grant. The others are the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District and public schools in Cambridge and Concord.
“Not only will this pilot help Massachusetts transition to increased electric vehicles, but it will also demonstrate the opportunity to transport our children in clean vehicles, which will reduce costs and is better for our environment,” Judith Judson, commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources, said in a statement.
Last week, an electric school bus was brought to the parking lot of the Amherst Regional Middle School, where the 10 town-owned, full-size school buses are stored, to show both Amherst school representatives and officials from the other districts how an electric bus might function.
Lion Buses, a company based in St. Jerome, Quebec, was on hand to demonstrate the technology on its eLion bus.
Marc-Andre Page, business development manager for Lion Buses, said these electric buses are already being sold to schools in 30 states, as well as in Canada. Lion Buses assembles the chassis, installs the batteries and constructs the bus bodies, he said.
“It’s a yellow school bus, but with zero emissions,” Page said.
Glucksman said he and other drivers got their first opportunity to test drive an electric bus. “The biggest thing you will notice is it’s very quiet,” Glucksman said.
He also observed that the throttle response is different than a conventional bus, but regenerative braking was “basically like a Prius.”
Glucksman said the four battery packs give the buses a range of around 70 miles. “I’m excited about us demonstrating this bus,” Glucksman said.
There will be an estimated $96,000 in fuel savings over a decade of use and $14,000 reduction in emissions-related repairs, Glucksman said.
Repairs to diesel engines, he observes, are more complicated. “When those things break, they’re not cheap,” Glucksman said.
With the average bus traveling around 12,000 miles a year, and the buses only averaging about 7 ½ miles to the gallon, the school is paying about $4,000 a year based on $2.50 per gallon – a price that is likely to rise.
It’s uncertain when the bus that Amherst will use will arrive.
Sean Mangano, finance director for the schools, said vendors will be solicited in the next week or so.
“We are in the process of preparing bid specs, the procurement will be through a request for proposals process,” Mangano said.
Glucksman said he isn’t sure how soon the district may be able to add additional electric buses, because they remain much more expensive than traditional buses. The grant is more than four times the $93,000 that Town Meeting appropriated this spring to buy one bus.
“Until the price comes down, we couldn’t do this without a grant,” Glucksman said.
With uncertainty about whether it is feasible to put additional electric buses on line, Glucksman said the next step will be transitioning to propane-powered buses.
