CARMEL – Carmel Clay Schools has introduced the first all-electric school bus in the state.
The zero-emission bus was built by Blue Bird and powered by the Cummins PowerDrive system.
“Carmel Clay Schools has been pursuing alternatively-fueled school buses for several years, and we see this as another step in expanding our efforts by introducing this zero-emission electric school bus into our fleet,” said Ron Farrand, director of facilities and transportation for Carmel Clay Schools. “We believe it is important as a pilot project to show how this electric bus will perform and to further reduce NOx and other emissions in our school district.”
The bus will be paid for by the Carmel Clay School Bus Replacement Fund with help from the Indiana Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund, which is administered by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
The district has two charging stations, one at its east side lot and one at its bus garage, to allow the bus to recharge in the same location where maintenance tasks are being performed.
Twenty-four existing Carmel buses are already powered by propane autogas. The district said it plans to introduce more alternatively-fueled buses in the future, such as electric, to create cleaner air for its students and communities.
