According to Cody Walker, assistant superintendent of Thermalto Union Elementary School District, Thermalto Union Elementary School District has received six electric buses.
Walker said the buses were delivered before January 1 over the Christmas break.
“They really meet our day-to-day transportation needs in a way that we are very excited about,” he said.
The school district approved the purchase of six GreenPower Battery Electric Automotive School Transportation Buses in 2020.
The Butte County Air Quality Management District funded the purchase of an electric school bus through its Clean Vehicles Incentive Program. The program provides grants to help with emissions reduction and air quality impact. The other five electric school buses will be funded through California Clean Energy Jobs Act Proposition 39.
Walker said the school district awaits installation of the final part of the charging system from PG&E, which was delayed due to the weather. The installation is expected to take place on January 15. He said the Thermalito Union Elementary School District hopes to be able to start using the new electric buses in early February or earlier.
According to a GreenPower Motor Company press release, the buses are purpose-built, fully electric, 40-foot, Type D school buses. They have a range of up to 150 miles and a 194.5-kWh battery pack.
These school buses can charge up to 19 kW on the standard J1772 protocol, the press release said. They can also offer DC fast charge with additional standard features like air ride suspension, pass through storage and air disc brakes.
“This delivery to Thermalito UESD is our largest school bus delivery to date, made possible by the focused efforts of our production and sales teams.” René Shetterly, vice president of sales and marketing at GreenPower, said in a press release.
