Districts join study on electric buses

While there is a lot of attention on electric vehicles and commuter buses, school buses remain a niche market, whether electric or not.

With just a few electric school bus manufacturers and minimal research on the costs and benefits, it’s easy to see why the little research that exists could be outdated as technology quickly changes.

This is why school bus electrification is the focus of David Bopp’s dissertation in completing his master’s degree from the University of East London through the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales.

Bopp, an energy services representative at Flathead Electric Cooperative, is in the process of gathering data from area school bus transportation providers to analyze.

“There’s not a whole lot that has been done, which is why I was able to pick it up. There are only a couple of pilots out there currently and none of them have provided data yet in cold climates,” Bopp said.

Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Kalispell and Whitefish school districts are participating in his study by providing available data on: replacement and maintenance costs; yearly fuel costs; number of students transported; daily and yearly mileage; hours operated, among other information such as the average cost for a gallon of diesel.

“I will be using local information rather than using national numbers,” he said.

Bopp has found that previous studies have made assumptions by using manufacturer’s claims. By using local data he’s aiming for a more accurate picture of costs and benefits. He’s hopeful that pilots being done in Minnesota and Massachusetts will also share data.

Rocky Mountain Transportation is one of the companies participating in Bopp’s study. Rocky Mountain has transported students in Whitefish School District for more than 70 years, according to owner Dale Duff.

“It is an intriguing idea that has potential,” Duff said about school bus electrification.

Even with electrification, “the bus itself remains inherently the same,” Duff said.

“School buses, from a safety standpoint, are the safest form of transportation,” he said.

A major difference is there are significantly fewer parts, which could result in maintenance savings.

“Basically electric vehicles are computers on wheels,” Bopp said, which is why it is important that school bus mechanics be receptive to additional training.

With fewer parts, however, Duff said that means manufacturers need to find energy efficient alternatives for parts to heat or cool the bus cabin, for example.

Obvious hurdles for transportation providers to switch to electric are upfront costs.

“The current standard is very expensive for the initial capital investment,” Duff said. “That’s been a challenge for contractors to replace the technology.”

Bopp and Duff said they expect prices to come down as research, innovation and technology improves and manufacturing of electric buses and batteries expands.

“We’ve come a long way in that the batteries can now go a long distance. You can get a big battery and go a long distance, but they’re still expensive to manufacture,” Bopp said.

There are also infrastructure costs. “That’s another piece I’m hoping to add in — the potential costs for infrastructure upgrades to provide that power,” Bopp said.

Charging one bus wouldn’t be a big deal, according to Bopp. Powering an entire fleet is a different story. This is where electric utility providers would need to be on board.

“At the location where the buses are in Bigfork, for example, what would it cost for Flathead Electric to be able to make sure we could have enough power there to charge a whole fleet of buses? It’s possible we do not have enough capacity in our lines, our transformers, to be able to provide that,” he said.

A touted benefit to electric bus technology is zero emissions. Bopp is planning to look into the “health savings” of reduced diesel emissions.

“The inside of a bus always has some emissions from that bus in it. If it sits idling or it follows another bus along a route, then you always get more emissions in the cab. Not good for the kids,” Bopp said. “If you start to add in the social implications for the health of kids and other things — there’s a lot of reason to go this direction.”

It’s usually a matter economics, however, for school districts on limited budgets.

“They don’t get paid because they’re reducing emissions. They don’t get paid because the kids aren’t exposed to diesel fumes,” Bopp said.

Bopp said he is hopeful the results from his study will generate interest in transportation providers to pursue grant funding for school bus electrification. One source of funding that came to Bopp’s mind was the Volkswagen Clean Air Act Civil Settlement, whether school bus transportation providers decided to apply directly or considered partnering with an electric utility company like Flathead Electric Cooperative.

“There’s definitely savings to be had,” Bopp said.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.