Green is the new yellow – States are introducing a greener alternative to the classic big yellow school bus. Okay, so, yellow is not fully out. Electric buses are still yellow, in color, but much more environmentally friendly. The old, diesel buses let out dangerous exhaust and carbon emissions, that not only harm the environment, but also the people breathing them in.
New York, Massachusetts, Washington and California have begun to team up with Lion Electric, a manufacturer of electric buses, to bring these buses to their cities. Furthermore, a few cities within these states have started purchasing electric buses to replace their mass transit units.
The hesitation lies in the price. An article in the New York Times states the price of an electric bus is nearly three times the amount of a new diesel bus. To this point, major cities struggle with the expense and are choosing to stick with diesel buses until the price dwindles. An article in Popular Mechanics, in discussing the high price of electrical buses, says, “This hurts school districts looking to go green because, of course, most American school districts are always lacking for money.”
Although the upfront cost of these buses may seem steep, the low upkeep costs could outweigh it. The New York Times mentions, “The electric buses have cost about 75 percent less to fuel. They use smart chargers to power up during off-peak hours when electricity rates are lower. And, with fewer moving parts, they cost 60 percent less to maintain.”
The electric school bus may not be the universal solution to eliminate harmful exhaust and carbon emissions, but it’s a good start to get people thinking.