The school bus industry will soon get its electric upgrade targeted to be released this coming 2019. The announcements were already made by several major manufacturers promising to deliver all–electric school buses with sufficient range and power, fully capable of performing the job. It will be a great leap towards a significant change in reducing harmful emissions and help to reverse today’s global warming.
The transportation traditional engine technology had already come a long way and they’re one of the major contributing pollution factors. Fortunately, we now have technological advancements for school buses that offers a more eco–friendly solution. And also companies have developed innovative solutions for schools to manage school children and track buses. School Travel Manager comprehensive safety system enables parents to know exactly when and where their children are whilst travelling and going to and from the school.
So here are the companies that will provide us with the all–electric yellow school buses soon.
IC Bus
The IC Bus is a leading manufacturer of school buses partnered with Volkswagen Truck & Bus to produce its own all–electric school buses. The IC Bus fitted in the drivetrain of Volkswagen Truck & Bus offers a lower total cost of ownership. They named it ChargE and features zero emissions and diesel–like performance engines.
IC Bus powertrain can exceed the range of 120 miles with up to 260kW or 349 HP at peak performance. It also offers a customisable powertrain to fit any customers specific requirements. By comparison, standard diesel engine buses have about 149 kW to 186 kW or 200 to 250 HP. ChargE offers a much better performance and is engineered to meet the demands of the school bus industry today.
Daimler Trucks North America
To continue being the global industry leader in producing alternative energy powered vehicles, Daimler Trucks North America with its subsidiary Thomas Built Buses has developed their own all–electric school buses. Thomas Built Buses is recognised as one of the leading manufacturers of school buses in North America. These both giant manufacturers are committed to providing the most innovative and smartest assembly line of trucks and buses on the market.
That is why, they already introduced their first generation all–electric school bus series the Saf–T–Liner C2 Electric Bus known for short as “Jouley”. The name Jouley came from the unit of energy – joule. Its powertrain has a 160kW or 120 horsepower with at least 100 miles operating range. It also has an option to fit in additional battery packs to reach a much longer range and match the customers’ needs.
Blue Bird Corporation
The Blue Bird Corporation is a well–known American school bus manufacturing company. To show their continued commitment to providing alternative energy propelled vehicles, they partnered with Adomani to developed two new drivetrains for both its school buses models which are Type A Micro Bird G5 and Type D All American.
Blue Bird Corporation drivetrain has a battery of 150kW which can last for a range of at least 100 miles. There is also an available 100kW option for a shorter school bus route. One of the interesting features of their new electric school buses is the Vehicle–to–Grid (V2G). It means that their school buses can be used as energy storage systems.
Blue Bird Corporation also aims for these two models to be available in early 2019.
It’s an exciting time for school buses to be revolutionise by going all–electric, and we at School Travel Manager are certainly interested to following its developments in the months to come. To know more about our comprehensive safety system, contact us for any enquiries or to get your FREE quote.