Rumors have been circulating about the electric buses that will soon be arriving in Lanesboro. Here are some of the rumors and the actual facts.
It was rumored that the school had received a $700,000 grant for three electric buses with the school contributing $300,000 to the purchase. The fact is that the school qualified for a rebate program from the federal government that could be used for purchasing the two buses and charging stations. Lanesboro will purchase two electric buses and receive a rebate of $690,000. The school will actually spend no money on the purchase of the buses.
The school will be responsible for the installation and purchase of the chargers. Superintendent Matt Schultz said the type of chargers selected will make a difference in the expense. A level III charger which can charge a bus in 1½ hours would need a 3 phase electrical system which would require major changes and be more costly. A level II charger would charge a bus in four hours; it might require some updating of the electrical service, but not a 3 phase system—this would be less expensive. The school intends to install the less expensive level II chargers.
Currently, the school is waiting on a local electrician to complete his certification to install the chargers; this certification is required for the rebate. According to Schultz, the school is trying to hire local companies in an effort to keep the money local. The electrician needs to review some basic electrical knowledge and pass a quiz to become certified.
Another rumor is that there may be ventilation issues with charging the buses that might lead to requiring a new bus garage. The fact is that the chargers will be installed outside of the bus garage near the graveled area.
A third rumor is that the buses can only travel 50 miles per charge. The fact is that the buses can travel 100 miles plus per charge. The Lion Bus website lists in its specifications that the buses have a range of 100 to 125 miles. The average bus route is 47 miles in the Lanesboro district.
A concern with electric vehicles is the mileage that can be traveled in colder temperatures. Schultz has been following a bus driver in Alaska on the internet. He reported that the battery range is dependent on the driver and passenger comfort. While other electric vehicles depend on the battery to heat the vehicles, the Lion Electric Bus Company adds a diesel heater so the bus heating does not draw from the battery power. These additional diesel heaters are included in the cost of the buses. Lion Electric is the only company that sells buses specifically designed to be electric buses; other companies merely refit diesel buses to make them electric.
According to the Lion website, thelionelectric.com/en/products/electric, the diesel heaters will have a 25 gallon tank and would need refueling about four times a winter.
Superintendent Schultz stated that at some point the school will need to do something different with the bus garage. It was built for generations of older buses. The school has already done some creative solutions to fit larger, newer buses into the garage including outfitting the buses with smaller tires to make them shorter and digging out gravel from the floor so the buses sit lower in the garage.
Because the buses sit on the gravel floor of the garage, the brake rotors are prone to surface rust. Department Of Transportation mandates their replacement more often as a result. Each rotor costs $2,500 per axle. At some point, it might make more sense to build a new garage. In the meantime, the wiring changes needed to install the level II chargers can be done and in the future there would be a possibility of moving the chargers.
According to Schultz, while environmental issues and climate change are good reasons to choose electric buses, his main goal in applying for the program was to get essentially free buses. He shared that diesel buses cost $95,000 in 2016, but now cost $127,000 each. With the prices of buses rising much faster than inflation, he felt it a good decision to try the electric buses. If they don’t work out for the school, they don’t need to use them. While the school district needs to keep the buses in their fleet for five years before they can sell them, they don’t have to use them.
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