Get the most of out of your EPA Clean School Bus Funding

To help speed the transition of school buses to clean energy, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding up to $5 billion over the next five years (FY 2022–2026) to public schools throughout the U.S. through the Clean School Bus Program. With funding from the bi-partisan 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the program gives funding to public school districts to replace up to 25 existing school buses with clean- and zero-emission alternatives, including electric buses, and to build out supporting charging infrastructure.

On October 26, the EPA released the first round of funding with 391 rebate awards totaling $913 million to support the purchase of 2,345 electric buses. School districts in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and institutions serving federally recognized Tribes were awarded funds.

For the first EPA funding round, eligible recipients included:

• State and local governmental entities responsible for purchasing school buses or providing school bus service to one or more public school systems, nonprofit school transportation associations and Tribes, Tribal Organizations and Tribally-controlled schools;
• Contractors, including for-profit or not-for-profit entities, that sell clean school buses, zero-emission buses, charging or fueling infrastructure; and
• School districts partnered with a private fleet operator that owns and operates buses to replace buses that serve a school district under an active contract.

Private school bus fleets cannot apply directly for EPA funding.

Among these recipients, the EPA prioritized awarding funding to those applications that proposed to replace buses serving high-need local education agencies, tribal schools, rural or low-income communities or applications that provide cost share through public-private partnerships.

What’s next for award recipients?

Schools can use the funding to purchase new clean- and zero-emission buses, and to build and manage EV charging infrastructure. Under the rebate program, the proposed replacement bus and any associated charging infrastructure must not be funded by other federal funds.

The maximum rebate a school district can receive per bus purchased ranges from $190,000 to $375,000 and depends on the bus fuel type, the bus size, and whether the applicant meets one or more prioritization criteria.

In addition to being able to purchase new buses, schools can use up to $20,000 per bus to install and manage charging infrastructure that supports the new fleet of electric buses, depending on the prioritization category of the school district.

EPA funding can be used for infrastructure costs associated with work between the electrical meter and the charging port.This can include charging equipment, design and engineering, and installation costs such as trenching, wiring and electrical upgrades, labor, and permitting. All AC Level 2 charging infrastructure under this program must be EPA ENERGY STAR certified. Charge management software can also be included in this funding.

Keep operating costs low withcharge management software

While securing the electric school buses and installing charging infrastructure are the first steps, it is critical that schools consider how they plan to manage EV fleet operations and energy costs once up and running. Determining when and how to charge has an enormous impact on the operating experience and cost of electrification. Charge management software (CMS) can automate this process to help the fleet save time and money.

While fleets can choose to just plug in and charge whenever convenient for the operators–called unmanaged charging–this can lead to exorbitant energy costs, buses not being ready for shifts, and added staff needed to manually control charging. Utility energy rates can change drastically within any given day and season, sometimes fluctuating as much as 400 percent, making energy costs unpredictable. Learn more about the difference between unmanaged and managed charging here.

Our charge management software, omega, solves these issues through automating the charging process, integrating into the EV and charging infrastructure. With omega’s managed charging approach, EV fleets can actively monitor operations remotely through a user-friendly interface. This eliminates the need to manually control charging and navigate complex charging schedules, thereby reducing costs by charging at optimal times for energy price and vehicle uptime. Learn more about how EV fleets can save with charge management software here.

How one school district saves with omega CMS

Palermo Union Elementary School District, in Butte County, California, transitioned 80% of their school bus fleet to electric vehicles, and in so doing, discovered their need for a managed charging solution. They came to bp pulse to help with this, and through our omega CMS and Charging-as-a-Service solutions, they were able to cut their energy costs in half. Palermo now pays 50% less than their previous electricity costs from their unmanaged EV fleet charging.

bp pulse helps school bus fleets de-risk the process of electrification so they can focus on the real goal of transporting kids safely. For those just beginning their journey or adding additional EVs to their fleet, we can help ease the transition and save you money.