Assisting Massachusetts with Electric School Bus Deployment

Diesel and gasoline-powered school buses produce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants that are harmful to students, drivers, and local communities. Studies show that replacing school bus fleets with electric school buses provides a cleaner transportation alternative with health, environmental, and cost benefits. Yet replacing buses requires significant funding and specialized technical expertise that few school districts possess. To benefit its communities and help achieve decarbonization goals in the Massachusetts 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap, which calls for an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gases from a 1990 baseline by 2050, Massachusetts is targeting the electrification of school buses.

ERG supports the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and six Massachusetts school districts in meeting electrification goals set by the state. ERG provides these districts with the technical expertise they need to replace existing school bus fleets with electric models using funds from the MassCEC Accelerating Clean Transportation (ACT) School Bus Program. ERG develops scalable and replicable planning documents that have included a fleet transition work plan and charging station and charging infrastructure deployment plans. ERG also helps with measurement and verification activities, accessing funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program, and coordinating with third-party vendors, school bus operators, state and local approval authorities, electric utility providers, and permitting agencies.