All About Electric School Buses
ESBs benefit students, school districts, communities, and the environment.
Completing a fleet electrification plan gives schools a roadmap to electrify their bus fleet, plus additional incentives to purchase zero-emission buses.
New York State’s school bus fleets are going electric. By 2027, all new school buses sold will be zero-emission—and by 2035, the State will have converted its entire school bus fleet to electric school buses, or ESBs. This important transition will reduce emissions that can harm our kids’ health, pollute the air in our communities, and contribute to climate change.
Here are key facts to know about New York’s transition to electric school buses, including ESB benefits for students and communities, how they work, charging requirements, and available funding for school districts.
Why Electric School Buses?
"This is the third year Lake Shore CSD has had zero emission buses in service. Our students enjoy the quiet ride, drivers appreciate less shouting, and staff have gained valuable experience in safely operating battery electric vehicles."
-Perry, Transportation Supervisor
Lake Shore Central School District
"We have had our first ESB in service for over 3 months now. We are using it on one of our longest runs and the students are pleased with a quieter ride each day and our driver has been quick to learn about the benefits of regenerative braking, charging and battery range."
-Kristin, Transportation Supervisor
Pine Valley Central School District
- Healthier schools and communities: Diesel- and gasoline-powered engines emit significant quantities of air pollutants like particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides—all of which are associated with chronic health conditions. [1] When idling, diesel buses release harmful emissions that can enter the cabin and impact the air quality for students and drivers. These emissions also affect communities located near school bus depots and bus routes. Electric school buses produce zero tailpipe emissions—ensuring cleaner air for our kids as they travel to and from school. The results are real: moving New York State’s entire vehicle fleet to zero-emission transportation would result in up to 159,000 avoided asthma attacks statewide, annually, according to the American Lung Association. [2]
- Lower greenhouse gas emissions: Across the lifecycle of a school bus, fully electric models are responsible for substantially less greenhouse gas emissions than gas- or diesel-powered buses. Meanwhile, combustion-engine school buses, which currently make up the majority of New York State’s fleet, emit approximately 1.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year. Electrifying the State’s 45,000 school buses would be equivalent to removing almost 180,000 cars from the road.
- Powered by a clean energy grid: By charging using New York State’s electric grid increasingly powered by renewable energy, electric school buses tap into a cheaper, cleaner, and local energy source.
- Lower operation and maintenance costs: Though ESBs cost more to purchase upfront, they are cheaper to operate and maintain. The initial cost of an ESB may be offset by state and federal assistance, and by lower fueling costs and less maintenance requirements over the bus’s useful life. Annual maintenance and operations savings vary but can range from a few thousand dollars to more than $10,000 per bus, per year. [4]
- Funding and incentives for school districts: New Yorkers overwhelmingly passed the Environmental Bond Act in November 2022, which includes $500 million to support the transition to zero-emission school buses. And many additional sources of funding, including from the utilities, are available to help school districts.
- Quieter, cleaner buses: Electric buses do not produce engine noise and are far quieter than diesel-and gasoline-powered buses. This results in a quieter ride for students and drivers, and less noise pollution in our communities. [5]
- Clean air, green jobs: The transition to electric buses will also help NY stay competitive and build a homegrown green economy by offering new employment opportunities for future generations. Electric buses are such a pleasure to drive that we may even see renewed interest in school bus driving as a job choice.
What to Know About Electric School Buses
How Electric School Buses Work
Have more electric school bus questions? Get answers to electric school bus FAQs.
Electric school buses use a battery rather than an internal combustion engine. The bus’s battery can charge at night, and harnesses energy from New York’s electric grid, which is increasingly powered by renewable energy. ESB ranges stretch from 100 to 200 miles, with even longer ranges to come—enough for most bus routes since the average school bus in New York State travels about 80 miles per day. Since most school buses return to a bus depot, they can usually be charged overnight, when electricity rates are lowest.
The market for electric school buses is growing quickly, and all of the major school bus manufacturers now offer ESBs across the classic categories of school buses.
Charging Electric School Buses
Electric school buses rely on electric vehicle chargers to recharge their batteries. ESBs use either alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) chargers.
- AC chargers and slower DC chargers provide ESBs with lower speed charging at a moderate cost. It takes between 6 and 11 hours for these chargers to fully charge an ESB, making overnight charging ideal.
- Faster DC chargers provide significantly faster charge speeds but at a higher cost than AC and slower DC chargers. These faster chargers can typically fully charge an ESB in 2 to 4.5 hours, and can be used for midday top-offs.
Electric Buses for a Cleaner New York
Transitioning New York’s school bus fleet to 100% electric operation by 2035, a deadline established by April 2022 State law, directly supports the Climate Act goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2050. In November 2022, New Yorkers overwhelmingly passed the Bond Act, which includes $500 million in funding to support this transition to an all-electric, zero-emission school bus fleet. These funding incentives will be vital for school districts and administrators as they work to transition their school bus fleets to ESBs.
Footnotes:
- World Resources Institute (2023). “Electric School Buses Can Fight — Or Further — Inequity In the US.” Retrieved from: https://www.wri.org/insights/electric-school-buses-equity-us
- Back to content - American Lung Association (2022) “Zeroing in on Healthy Air” https://www.lung.org/getmedia/13248145-06f0-4e35-b79b-6dfacfd29a71/zeroing-in-on-healthy-air-report-2022.pdf [PDF]
- Back to content - Electric School Bus Initiative (2022): “Why We Need to Transition to Electric School Buses” Retrieved from: Electric School Bus Initiative
- Back to content - New York State Electric School Bus Roadmap (2023). “Market Cost Projections.” from: https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Electric-School-Buses/Electric-School-Buses/Electric-School-Bus-Roadmap
- Back to content - Fleet Equipment Magazine (2021).“Electric Truck Regenerative Braking, Explained” Retrieved from: https://www.fleetequipmentmag.com/electric-truck-regenerative-braking-explained
- Back to content
For more detailed information on electric school buses, charging, or the Bond Act, see the Electric School Bus Guidebook.
Read the Guidebook