5 New Electric Buses Added To Fleet At Alexandria Public Schools

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Five new electric buses have been added to the fleet at Alexandria City Public Schools as part of the school district's commitment to sustainability and hybrid vehicles. School officials as well as representatives from Dominion Energy and the Sonny Merryman, Inc. bus dealership company celebrated the new buses with a plug-in event Tuesday.

The five electric-powered buses run entirely on electricity, offering reduced emissions and a quieter ride for students. The operating range of the electric buses is 134 miles, which can cover a daily bus route without needing a mid-day charge. The C2 Jouley school buses are made by Thomas Built Buses and look similar to the other ACPS yellow school buses.

"The ACPS Transportation Office is always working to help ACPS lead the charge in clean energy," said Scott Merriman, the ACPS director of pupil transportation and fleet management. "These new electric buses are energy-efficient and cost-effective, and reflect our school division’s interest in environmentally-friendly operations."

The five electric-powered buses join the 118-vehicle fleet at ACPS. Buses were purchased by the school district with help from the Dominion Energy Electric School Bus Program. Through the program, batteries and charging stations were provided to ACPS to operate the buses. With the assistance from the program, ACPS paid the same price for the electric buses as they would for diesel fuel-powered buses, but ACPS estimates the electric buses cost 60 percent less to maintain.

Dominion Energy installed three Proterra Charging Stations with five dispensers to charge the five electric buses at the ACPS transportation center. The charging time for a Jouley school bus is two to three hours. Batteries are designed to last the entire life of the bus, an estimated 15 years.

Aside from providing transportation with reduced emissions, the buses also help the electric grid. When buses aren't in use, the vehicle-to-grid technology uses the batteries to inject energy onto the electric grid when demand is high.

“Electric school buses are an innovative and sustainable solution that help reduce emissions, protect children’s health and reduce costs for school divisions all while making the grid stronger," said Charlene Whitfield, Dominion Energy’s senior vice president of power delivery. "We’re thrilled to see these buses on the road transporting students in Alexandria."

The five buses are among 50 in Dominion Energy's program for school districts in Virginia.