Trump Disrupts Transition to Electric School Buses
TL/DR –
The Trump administration has halted funding for the electrification of school buses in America, creating delays and confusion in the sector. The Environmental Protection Agency has been releasing some of the funds, but there is ambiguity over whether the remaining $2 billion allocated by Congress for clean school buses will be released. The uncertainty has caused school districts and bus manufacturers to change their plans and even abandon them altogether, slowing down the implementation of electric buses and consequently, the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.
The Electric School Bus Revolution and Funding Challenges
Tens of thousands of students from Rapides Parish, Louisiana to Oakland, California are witnessing a revolution in school transportation, powered by billions in federal funds towards electric school buses. However, a shift in administration has seen a slowdown in this EV transition.
In January, President Trump paused all federal funds for clean school vehicles, causing delays and changes along the electric bus supply chain. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has slowly started to release some of the funds but the process has been disruptive, say bus advocates, manufacturers, and school officials. However, it remains undetermined whether they will release the additional $2 billion allocated by Congress for clean buses, which is yet to be awarded.
Choosing diesel over electric means locking in higher carbon dioxide emissions for the common lifespan of traditional buses – 12 to 15 years. It also extends children’s exposure to toxic emissions. For bus manufacturers, a slowdown in orders could impact their budding electric business.
The Impact of Federal Funding on Electric Bus Adoption
Electric school buses have come a long way from being almost non-existent a decade ago. The technology received a significant boost from Volkswagen AG’s 2016 multi-billion dollar settlement with U.S. environmental officials for violating Clean Air Act standards. The settlement money was distributed towards cleaner transportation, providing schools the opportunity to test out electric buses without the high upfront costs.
By leveraging this opportunity, several states purchased around 750 electric school buses. But, this was not enough to catalyze mass adoption. Then-California Sen. Kamala Harris proposed a bill in 2019 to establish a federal program supporting cleaner school buses. Despite not passing, a similar initiative was launched by Biden-Harris administration – the EPA’s $5 billion Clean School Bus Program.
The EPA program was extremely popular. When the agency opened its first round of applications for $500 million in 2022, applicants requested nearly $4 billion for over 12,000 school buses. So far, the EPA has awarded $2.7 billion to buy more than 8,800 buses through its Clean School Bus Program.
Challenges in Electric Bus Implementation
Successful implementation of electric buses requires extensive charging infrastructure, coordination with utilities, and retraining of drivers and staff. This can take months, or even years. The funding freeze by the Trump administration affected schools and companies involved in bus electrification who hadn’t fully spent their EPA awards. The money was eventually released, but not immediately, leaving these entities in a difficult situation.
Alternative sources of electric school bus funding have come from state programs and utilities. States like New York and California have invested hundreds of millions of dollars on electric and zero-emission school buses and California has invested about $1.3 billion for 1,100 zero-emission school buses, with an additional 1,000 or so coming soon.
Despite roadblocks, the electrification of school bus fleets continues, with Boston Public Schools aiming to fully electrify its fleet of 750 buses by 2030 – without the help of the EPA.
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