60,000 buses are sold in India annually, of which school buses account for nearly 10,000, making it crucial for the country to fastrack this transition
The Indian government has launched several key measures to fast pace the transition towards clean mobility with focus on sustainable public transportation. Identifying buses as one of the key components of public transport, the government recently launched a scheme which envisages the deployment of 10,000 electric buses in nearly 170 cities.
Named ‘PM-eBus Sewa', the government eventually aims to introduce 50,000 electric buses nationwide to curb harmful emissions in the transport sector.
According to the Electric Bus Market in India 2023 – 2028 report, nearly 3,000 electric buses have been registered, while orders close to 7,000 units are pending as of July 2023. The ISGF White Paper - Electrification of School Buses points out that 60,000 buses are sold in India annually, of which school buses account for nearly 10,000, or nearly 20%.
It is well known that traditional buses running on diesel emit harmful gases which contribute significantly to air pollution and in this case, adversely affect children’s health in their developing age. Prolonged exposure to these harmful emissions can aggravate asthma and allergies in children, in turn affecting their physical and mental well being.
These scenarios make a strong case for electrifying the school buses across the country that will help children get a “completely fatigue-less” travel while helping the schools also save a substantial amount since the running cost of e-buses is much less – almost 10% of the running cost of diesel buses.
The paper also argues that these e-school buses can be further used as a source of large volumes of energy storage and also derive their power from solar panels installed on the rooftop of these school buildings. The electric buses can also be used in times of natural calamities and grid failures to supply electricity to essential services in nearby residential colonies.
Fig 1: Image Credits: Highland
What Are The Key Features of Electric School Buses
Two key things which are present in e-buses and not in their diesel counterparts are the presence of high-voltage electrical systems and the absence of internal combustion engine related components. The paper explains that e-buses have high-voltage systems powered by a lithium-ion battery (LiB) pack mounted on the bus chassis. The power from the battery is distributed to the electric motor and other components via cables, AC/DC inverters and converters and the pack is supported by a thermal management system that maintains battery health and longevity, the ISGF paper points out.
These vehicles are also driven by electric motors and have only around 20 moving parts, compared with over 2,000 moving parts in ICE vehicles. Other features include even distribution of battery weight unlike diesel buses where the weight is focussed on the front, easy servicing and maintenance owing to lease number of parts among others.
Why Is It Crucial to Electrify School Buses
- Many reports have pointed out that children are more susceptible to the adverse effects of diesel emissions which have also shown to impact their cognitive development and respiratory health. These e-buses have zero tailpipe emissions, leading to a cleaner environment around the children.
- Despite their high up-front cost, these e-buses can provide long term cost savings. Apart from having a very low maintenance cost, the cost of electricity used to charge electric buses is typically 10% of the cost of diesel, which can lead to huge operational cost savings over time.
- Compared to their diesel counterparts, e-buses are quieter and can help reduce noise pollution and provide a peaceful ride to the children as well as residents.
- Most of the school buildings are huge and also have large open spaces which can be utilised to install solar panels. The paper explains that the cost of electricity from solar panels at present is cheaper than that from the grid, thus ensuring that the buses are charged via green and clean power source.
- Since they have battery storage, these e-buses can also be used as mobile power units and can be utilised in case of electricity outages.
- Electric buses also have longer life. If the battery is replaced once, the life of a school bus could be 15 years or more and also promises a better resale value compared to diesel buses.
- Both the Central as well as state governments are providing various incentives for faster adoption of electric vehicles. The schools can explore such initiatives to avail subsidies.
Fig 2: Credit - Jared Bartman for Vox
What Is Required To Electrify School Buses
One of the first steps that schools need to take is identifying parking spaces where charging infrastructure for the buses can be installed. A typical school with 10 electric buses having 70kWh batteries may ideally create – DC Fast Chargers: 50 kW capacity x 2 and AC Chargers (V2G capable) 22 kW x 10, the paper explains.
It points out that schools can also apply for a new 320 KW electricity connection under the EV Tariff category4 which is substantially cheaper than commercial category connections given to schools. At the same time, after installing rooftop solar, schools can also avail power banking by supplying the solar power to the grid and draw it back to charge the buses when required. Parellely, the schools should also impart training to their technicians for proper maintenance of the e-buses and the charging stations.
Electrifying School Buses: What Is Happening Around The World
The ISGF paper reveals that with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Clean School Bus (CSB) Program provides $5 billion over five years (FY 2022-2026) to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models.
According to a WRI report, e-school bus adoption continues to expand in the United States. As of June 2023, there are 2,277 electric school buses that are either on order, delivered or operating. In total, there are now 5,982 committed electric school buses, an increase of almost 400 buses since the release of WRI’s December 2022 dataset and over 3,200 more buses since June 2022, it says.
Given these scenarios and the rising air pollution issue affecting not only children but also adults, it is imperative that India accelerates this transition to safeguard the future of our coming generations.
About the Author
