Electrify all US school buses by 2030

[Finishline42]

WRI scores grant from Bezos Earth Fund, hopes to electrify all US school buses by 2030

The Bezos Earth Fund has awarded a grant of $100 million, to be disbursed over a five-year period, to the World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research organization, for two separate climate initiatives. The first project is to develop a satellite-based monitoring system to improve monitoring of changes in land use and associated carbon emissions. The second is to accelerate the electrification of US school buses.

WRI is one of 16 groups that have received funds totaling $791 million from the Bezos Earth Fund.

School buses are an excellent candidate for electrification, as they drive predictable routes and return to central depots each day. Furthermore, they have significant downtime (many sit idle through much of the summer), making them a great potential resource for V2G applications. The kicker is that school districts, parents and policymakers tend to agree that freeing young children from breathing diesel smoke is a worthy goal.

There are over 450,000 school buses in the US, and WRI’s goal is to electrify them all by 2030. WRI will partner with local organizations with a history of working on transportation issues.

“We are grateful to the Bezos Earth Fund for this very generous gift to advance two game-changing climate initiatives at a time when they are urgently needed,” said WRI CEO Dr. Andrew Steer. “Building on our expertise and bringing together many partners, we will use these resources to accelerate transformative shifts in monitoring land use and carbon emissions and electrifying vehicles. These initiatives will cut emissions, create a healthier environment, spur economic opportunities, and improve the lives of millions of people in the United States and around the world.”

https://chargedevs.com/newswire/wri-scores-grant-from-bezos-earth-fund-hopes-to-electrify-all-us-school-buses-by-2030/

[eppur_se_muova]

1. When are they going to electrify USPS delivery trucks ?

With such predictable routes, they're the ideal candidates. I know, not under 45.

[Finishline42]

2. Agreed

UPS has tried a bunch of things. I see hybrid electric labeled trucks. Natgas powered.

but they have ordered 10,000 from a UK based start-up. edited to add ---> This story is from Jan 2020

https://electrek.co/2020/01/30/ups-orders-10000-electric-delivery-vans-arrival/

UPS announced today that they are investing in UK-based EV startup Arrival and ordering 10,000 electric delivery vans from them in order to electrify their fleet.

We have previously reported on Arrival when they unveiled a neat-looking all-electric delivery truck and scored contracts with the Royal Mail and UPS.

When first unveiling the vehicle in 2017, Arrival talked about “revolutionary ultra-lightweight composite materials that significantly reduce the weight of the vehicle, and by combining this technology with Arrival’s custom-built hardware, including power electronics and motors, the cost of operating has been reduced by more than 50%.”

They say that they optimized the maximum range to weight ratio for inner-city deliveries with battery packs enabling up to 100 miles of range on 3.5, 6, and 7.5-tonne trucks.

For the UPS trucks, Arrival said that they will have “a battery range of more than 150 miles (240 kilometers).”

[Miguelito Loveless]

3. They will fight mandatory electrification tooth & nail

pointing to their pilot programs in the U.S. This is, of course, simple delaying tactics. They are making the transition in the EU, because of regulatory and punitive tax changes.

[Finishline42]

5. Not a big fan of mandatory edicts from govt

As I said before, UPS has tried a lot of different alternatives. They are really good at collecting and crunching data. They will do what saves them money.

Hybrid saves money on fuel and brakes. Cost them money on batteries.

Natgas probably saves money on maintenance and fuel but is susceptible to price swings on natgas.

I'm sure EV delivery vans make sense on a lot of routes but probably not rural routes. They need to be able to make those decisions.

One problem of course is that the more EV delivery trucks that are bought the cheaper they will become.

I am in favor of USPS buying EV mail trucks, govt motor pools changing over to EV, etc.

[Miguelito Loveless]

6. Not a big fan of voluntary compliance

Or self-regulation. Despite all the obvious savings, UPS has not committed to any meaningful transition in the US. Compare that to Amazon, who have a invested $700 million in Rivian and ordered 100,000 e-Trucks.

[Finishline42]

7. Good point

One of the problems UPS is facing is that they have a fleet that isn't worn out. Amazon has the advantage in that they are just now building out their fleet.

Being good to the environment also means getting everything out of a resource before you get rid of it.

Over the last 30 or 40 years the price of gas has gone thru boom and bust periods. Every time the price skyrockets and consumers start buying high MPG vehicles we get years of cheap gas and consumers buy SUV's and pickup trucks they don't really need.

But I think it's past the tipping point this time, EV's are the future.

Mercedes has stopped development of new gas engines if that tells us anything.

[Miguelito Loveless]

8. Agreed.

UPS is still putting profits ahead of the environment. I understand that issue of newer trucks, but they knew this was going to happen at least two decades ago, so I am distinctly unsympathetic.

If UPS was serious about the issue, they could begin retrofitting existing trucks with electric drivetrains. They have the money and the clout.

VW was making headway, but suddenly the board is getting cold feet and the unions are getting belligerent about Diess' accelerated shift to EVs. Tuesday they refused to give him a vote of confidence about his job. Also, word is that they let go the head of "electric mobility", the guy heading up the ID3/ID4 models, which also sends a bad signal.

Senior management and board members of these companies see this as "a future problem for someone else to solve".

[Miguelito Loveless]

4. Thomas Bus

a formerly US company in NC, now owned by Daimler, has had a full-sized e-bus they have been showing off for over 3 years, but have yet to build a single one to sell. There was discussion that VA was going to buy some, but again, that deal is "in the future".

Meanwhile, huge swaths pf the world literally burn.

[J Magarac]

9. Depends on how the electricity is generated.

We're talking about serious increase in demand for electricity.

Too much coal in the current mix to just leave it at that.

[Finishline42]

10. That is one of the factors that would make it a good deal

There is plenty of un-used capacity at night - especially early morning hours that with smart chargers it wouldn't put that much load on the grid.

But, why not have solar panels at the bus compounds that would be used to recharge the buses between morning and afternoon runs?