AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: Title of my story
REPORTER: In Apirl of 2022, New York State passed a law requiring all new school bus purchases to be zero emmision by 2027. The goal? Have all eletric buses on the road by 2035.
Many though are concerned about the price and maintenance of the new electric bus model. Electric vehicle specialist Carlos Adrian spoke more on the differences in maintaining an electric vehicle.
ADRIAN: In terms of maintance, there’s no oil changes, but I think overall maintance cost, once they increase the range, you know, better batteries, and its just exponential
REPORTER: Adrian said that the rqnge of batteries had alreasy increased from 60 miles, to over 200 miles in the past few years.
In 2022, New York State dedicated 500 million dollars to assist schools in their transition to the new model, furthering the states pursuit for a 100 percent zero emission electricity sector by 2040. Nate Romestan, NCC News.
Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC News) — In New York state’s 2022-23 budget, lawmakers passed a law requiring all new school bus purchases to be zero-emission by 2027. All school buses on the road must be electric by 2035.
Many school districts have raised concerns about the cost and reliability of electric buses.
West Herr Chevrolet electric vehicle specialist Carlos Adrian said maintenance requirements are lower for electric vehicles compared with gas-powered vehicles.
“There’s no oil changes, looking at brakes, using the one-pedal driving, regenerative braking … gives you a whole lot more of a history,” Adrian said.
Adrian said the complexity of an electric vehicle is also much simpler than that of a gas-powered vehicle. Instead of an engine with valves, plugs and wires, he said an electric vehicle is essentially “a computer on wheels with a battery.”
School districts have also questioned whether electric buses will perform reliably during winter weather.
Adrian said electric vehicles are affected by cold weather similarly to gas-powered vehicles, with both experiencing reduced range.
“My personal car went down 10%. So rather than getting 319 miles, it went down to 290, 295, which is still pretty nice,” Adrian said about how his personal electric vehicle performed this past winter.
Adrian said that as battery technology continues to improve, vehicle range and performance will improve as well. He noted that over the past eight years, electric buses have increased their range from about 60 miles to more than 250 miles.
Adrian also said the energy used to power electric vehicles is sourced locally. Unlike gasoline, which is often imported from overseas, he said electricity comes directly from New York state. Adrian said this makes electric vehicles more sustainable and less dependent on international conflicts.
One argument Adrian made in support of electric buses is that they are cleaner for the environment.
“I think the most important thing is, it’s clean,” Adrian said.
Adrian said that when school buses idle while waiting to pick up students, harmful emissions are released into the surrounding air. He said switching to electric buses would improve the overall health and well-being of children.
In 2022, New York dedicated more than $500 million to help schools transition to fully electric bus fleets. The state hopes the initiative will support its goal of achieving a 100% zero-emission electricity sector by 2040.