Electric School Buses Could be Coming To Princeton School District

PRINCETON, NJ — If all goes well, Princeton Public Schools could add at least four new electric buses to its fleet.

The school district recently applied for an $880,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean School Bus program.

An additional $52,000 grant was submitted to help pay for installing charging stations.

PPS can receive $190,000 - $250,000 per bus, depending on its size and class, according to a presentation made by Sustainable Princeton.

The district is looking to replace four diesel and gas buses with battery-electric buses that are scheduled to be replaced in 2023-24 school year as they’ve reached the end of their useful life, the district said.

If the grant is approved, the district will purchase either a BlueBird, Lion, IC, or a electric bus that is compatible with Level II charging, Jenny Ludmer from Sustainable Princeton said.

The district is expected to hear a decision on the grant sometime in October. A full-sized electric bus costs $395,000, while a diesel bus costs $145,000. If the grant is approved and PPS receives $250,000 for each bus, the eletic vehicle will only cost $145,000.

The maintenance charges is also much lower for an electric bus.

The annual cost of maintaining a diesel bus is $2,783 and an electric bus is $1,643. The school district would spend $3,296 annually for fuel. But with eclectic buses, the charges are $1,323 annually. Overall, the district will save $3113.13 annually on each bus.

A mid-sized gasoline bus costs $80,945, while a mid-sized electric bus costs $239,000. With the rebate, the EV bus would cost $49,000.

Similarly, a mid-sized wheelchair-accessible gasoline bus costs $94,593.32, while the same in an EV school bus would cost $255,114.36. When $190,000 is rebated, the EV school bus would cost $65,114.36.

The buses would offer up to 120 miles per charge dependent on drive cycle, driver behavior, accessories and HVAC usage, Sustainable Princeton said.

The buses would offer a maximum daily average of 12-55 miles. The battery can fully charge overnight with a Level 2 charger.

Installing four EV school bus Level 2 charging stations would cost around $136,000. The additional grant application of $52,000 would reduce this cost to $84,000, according to Sustainable Princeton.

Adding new EV school buses will eliminate or reduce bus exhaust and greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change, Sustainable Princeton said in their presentation.

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com