Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Transportation Alternatives, USA



Over two years after its introduction, the first all-electric school bus in the US has gone into service. Produced by the partnership between Trans Tech and Motiv, the SST-e school bus can carry up to 25 students, has a range of 80 or 100 miles (depending on options) and can save a school district over $10,000 a year in running costs. Those range numbers are down from the concept bus (which was going to offer 100 or 130 miles), but it should still be plenty for most of the morning and afternoon runs to pick up the be-backpacked.

The powertrain comes from Motiv Power Systems and the buses are built by Trans Tech Bus, with the first unit making its debut in the Kings Canyon Unified School District in California. The school district has ordered four of the SST-e EVs, with help from the California Air Resources Board, which contributed $400,000 towards the project.

School buses have long been a target for greening, since most of the current fleet burns not-so-clean diesel. A popular improvement in the past has been anti-idling campaigns, but a bus without a tailpipe is much cleaner than a bus with a tailpipe that is off some of the time. The SST-e uses a Ford E450 cutaway chassis (the concept was based on a Smith electric truck). The first plug-in hybrid school bus entered service in the US in 2007, also in California.Continue reading First all-electric school bus in US starts service in California

First all-electric school bus in US starts service in California originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 09 Mar 2014 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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