The Romulus Central School District could be doing something pretty significant.
The district is looking at the possibility of electric school buses.
The first step would be exploring the energy use cycle for each bus route. That would allow a charging system to be designed.
At this point, the district is seeking a study to determine how much electricity needs to be added to the buses batteries to complete routes.
The district is looking at adding 10 buses to start, then potentially expanding outward.
“It will be a long process to make a switch from gas or diesel buses to electric buses,” Superintendent Marty Rota told the Finger Lakes Times. “We need to know what we need to do to get ready, and that starts with knowing how much electricity our 12 buses and vans would use.”
The district covers 40 square miles and has 450 students.
“Estimates are these buses could cost up to $375,000 per bus and $17,000 for each charging station,” Rotz added. “We also need to know if the electrical grid can supply the power we would need. We have been told that we will not get state aid on buses purchased after 2027 unless they are low or no emission, which means compressed natural gas or electric.”
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