The Vigo County School Board on Monday approved a $3.9 million grant that will enable the district to purchase 14 electric vehicle school buses to replace existing diesel- powered school buses. The funding is through the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s heavy duty bus grant.
Over the 12-year lifespan of all 14 buses, the district has the potential to capture $2 million in fuel savings over that period, John Newport, deputy superintendent, told the school board.
The district also anticipates savings in maintenance costs.
The cost of an EV school bus is significantly higher than a diesel powered bus, but with the grant, VCSC’s out-of-pocket expenses will be comparable to diesel bus outof- pocket expenses and the IDEM grant will offset remaining costs, Newport said.
The total cost is nearly $6.3 million, with $3.9 million through the grant and about $2.4 million from the district’s bus replacement fund. Half of the electric buses will be purchased this year, and half in 2026.
As part of the grant, the VCSC will upgrade part of its facility at the transportation bus garage to include seven dual-plug charging stations capable of charging two buses for each charger. The cost for installing these charging stations will be offset from an IRS tax credit, Newport said.
“These EV buses will be a welcome addition to the VCSC fleet,” Newport said. An EV bus can operate at a range of 150 miles per charge. “We anticipate that most of the routes for the electric buses will be ‘inner-city’ routes, taking advantage of the EV benefits in frequent stop-and-go driving,” Newport said.
For longer distance events, such as for athletics, diesel buses would be used, he said.
The buses have a 10-year warranty.
The board approved participation in the bus grant and executing the related contract.
Some of the buses could be in use as early as fall 2026, Newport said.
The district has been in discussion with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology about VCSC’s potential use of Rose-Hulman’s planned 5 mega-watt solar farm to support the district’s EV school bus initiative, according to Superintendent Chris Himsel.
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