Mansfield, Massachusetts, July 26, 2022 - Energy New England and Highland Electric Fleets co-hosted a ‘EV School Bus Demo Day’ EVent at Beverly Middle School on July 14th. Beverly School District currently has two all-electric school buses running that they shared for attendees to learn more about.
ENE’s Associate Director of Transportation Electrification Mark Scribner and Sean Leach of Highland Electric Fleets became passengers themselves as they rode the electric school bus and discussed the many benefits that make it superior to a diesel-fueled bus. An electric school bus demonstrates power that is available immediately and has no trouble going from hills to highway, but much more quietly, allowing the driver to hear all passengers and respond as needed. Utilizing regenerative braking, the driver never has to use the friction brake, which extends the life of the buses’ brakes and provides a much smoother and more effective ride for both the driver and the passengers.
Once the route has been completed, rather than the driver needing to stop and refuel at a diesel station, this bus can simply be plugged into the DC fast-charging station in the lot and the software will get it ready for its next route. These charging stations are also capable of discharging energy from the battery of the bus to return it back to the grid. This provides the benefit of offsetting the peak demand that may occur for example on a hot day when many air conditioners are running. That means just by recharging an electric school bus, the use of fossil fuels is reduced and the larger community benefits in both cost and emissions.
Attendees were able to learn more about how electric school buses can help municipal light plants better manage peak loads, how they can improve driver and passenger experiences and more. They even had the opportunity to be passengers themselves! All in all, it was an amazing EVent!
Check out the images below or watch Mark’s vlog’s to learn more about the day, and the extensive benefits EV school buses offer students, drivers, schools, and the surrounding municipal light plants!
