NYSERDA will provide approximately $40,000 to $50,000 to conduct the bus electrification study. The study will be conducted by the IBI Group, the district's architectural firm.
"We have received notification that NYSERDA has accepted IBI's proposal to do a study on bus electrification," Interim Superintendent Patrick H. Brady told board of education members Thursday night.
He said NYSERDA approved the bus electrification study in May. A kickoff meeting between the district, NYSERDA and the IBI Group was held on May 18, and board of education members received a copy of the agreement for their review.
Brady said the study would assist the district in preparing for the upcoming state mandate to convert their bus fleet from diesel to non-emission.
"It has all of the different factors that they are going to be looking at, such as bus route characteristics, our bus fleet, the size of our district, our electrical capacity, estimated capital and operating costs if we are to go to electrification," he said.
He said the IBI Group will have the study complete by December, giving the school board an idea of what will be involved in the transition to an electric fleet of buses.
Transportation Director Darrin Jock had told board members in June that transitioning to electric buses represents "the biggest hurdle" they face in the future, with many questions that still haven't been answered.
He said one of the biggest concerns is mileage, with varying numbers at different meetings. The district has two bus runs in the morning, two in the afternoon, Board of Cooperative Educational Services runs, plus out-of-town runs.
"One of the big concerns is the mileage you're going to get and some of our bus runs are longer than the actual mileage you get on a charge from what I've been told. We take trips and go farther than we can be charged," Mr. Jock said.
He said another concern is the cost to replace the current diesel-fueled buses with electric buses, as well as the chargers that aren't all compatible with each company's buses.
"No matter what manufacturer you buy from, the plug-in on the end is different for all three of them," he said. "Now they're making adapters, but of course they come with a price."
New York's enacted 2022-23 state budget included a requirement that, by 2035, all student transportation be done with zero-emission vehicles. Under the law, all school district purchases or leases of new vehicles for pupil transportation must be zero-emission by July 1, 2027.
School districts may request a delay in the implementation of the July 1, 2027, deadline and be granted an extension for up to two years. But, all purchases and leases by school districts or transportation contractors will need to be electric by July 2029.
In addition to the bus electrification study, the district also hoped to have an energy efficiency study done, which would evaluate, plan for and facilitate energy reduction projects, clean energy projects and indoor air quality projects. Mr. Brady said those could include solar arrays, lighting upgrades, converting steam to electric kitchen kettles, converting domestic hot water heaters from gas to electric and window replacements, among others.
However, he said, that study has not been approved.
"Reportedly, NYSERDA has stopped funding these studies at this time," he said.
©2023 Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, N.Y.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
