MALONE, N.Y. (WCAX) – A northern New York school district has become the first in the North Country to plug into electric school buses. It’s part of a state mandate requiring all new bus purchases to be electric in three years and all districts to only have e-buses by 2035.
There are many concerns in the North Country over the switch to electric school buses. Some say the price tag is simply too high while others say the batteries will not work in the cold climate. However, school officials in Malone have decided to take the issue head-on.
Andy Schrader has been driving school buses for the last decade. He’s driven buses fueled by propane, diesel, gasoline, and now, electricity. “The biggest thing driving is how quiet they are,” Schrader said.
The Malone Central School District is one the largest in the region, spanning 386 miles. Schrader’s routes normally run about 60 miles and he says battery capacity was a concern at first. But after being behind the wheel since March, some of his concerns have been assuaged. “It utilizes an electric motor to slow the vehicle down as you are coming to stops and actually charges the batteries back up at the same time,” Schrader said.
Of the district’s 43 buses, four are now electric. The district’s Brooks McQuinn says the buses were delivered in February, giving them a short window of time to see how they fare in cold weather. He says there were some minor bugs but that none were stranded in the cold. “A little bit more power usage in the mornings when it’s colder, and a little bit more when it actually warms up a little bit,” he said.
MCSD Superintendent Brandon Pelkey says the cost per bus was around $60,000 thanks to a grant from the EPA that funded 87% of the costs of the charging infrastructure. ”We are probably ending up breaking even as it relates to the cost of the bus with the reimbursements from the grant and our state aid for next year,” he said
Despite state assistance, Pelkey still says the state mandate does not give districts enough time to upgrade their infrastructure. “Our bus garage has an 800 amp service to it and bus charging stations each utilize around 100 amps of that service, so in order for us to be able to do it, we are going to have to work with our local utility, National Grid,” he said.
Meanwhile, McQuinn says they will continue to monitor and use the electric buses as the district works towards a zero-emission fleet. “We have already taken an approach for a healthier situation, and I think going forward, the EV buses are a welcome addition,” he said.
