First Fleet Of Electric School Buses Launched In Fairfax County

Chantilly VA

20 October, 2021

4:42 PM

Description

CHANTILLY, VA — Fairfax County Public Schools held a ceremony Wednesday to celebrate its first fleet of electric school buses as part of a commitment to providing carbon-neutral student transportation by 2035. The eight new buses and charging stations were on display at the school system's Stonecroft Transportation Center in Chantilly. This inaugural fleet of electric buses have been in use since May. FCPS was chosen to receive the buses in a competitive process after applying for a grant from Dominion Energy two years ago. Dominion covers the difference in cost so that school districts pay no more for electric buses than they would for diesel models. Dominion installed and will maintain the charging infrastructure at the Stonecroft Transportation Center. The Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley electric school buses are powered by Proterra electric vehicle technology and a Proterra 60-kilowatt charging system. FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand was joined by school board members at Wednesday's event. "Having electric school buses in our fleet is consistent with the Fairfax County Joint Environmental Task Force's goal to become carbon neutral," Brabrand said at the event. FCPS is part of the Fairfax County Joint Environmental Task Force, which was formed to address climate change and environmental sustainability. The task force is composed of representatives from both the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the School Board, along with community partners from higher education, industry and community and student advocacy groups. One of the goals is for FCPS to move to electric or zero-carbon alternatives for school buses and eligible fleet vehicles by 2035. FCPS received another grant from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for an additional 10 electric buses and are scheduled to receive them in early spring 2022. RELATED: $2.6M In Grant Money To Help FCPS Buy 10 Electric School BusesFCPS Receives First Electric School Bus Under Dominion Grant