In February, the Fayetteville-Manlius School District put an electric school bus to the test to see how it would perform on F-M’s bus routes in response to New York State’s mandate that requires all school bus purchases be electric starting July 1, 2027, and all diesel-fueled school buses be replaced with electric buses by July 1, 2035.
The district has been researching electric buses since 2022, but does not own any, citing reasons such as costs, facility constraints and the uncertainty of the relatively new technology.
“The district recognizes the F-M community is passionate about green initiatives and sustainable energy, but there are a lot of hypotheticals when it comes to the performance of electric school buses,” said Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Brad Corbin. “We’ve done our homework, but the only way to know how electric buses will handle our roads, topography and weather is to try it for ourselves.”
The district borrowed an electric bus from New York Bus Sales Inc., at no cost, to conduct trial runs. The trials were completed without student passengers because the bus was new and had not yet completed a Department of Transportation inspection required for student transport. During the trials, the bus followed a typical bus route, which included stops at an elementary school, middle school and the high school.
Trial run results
Two trials were conducted on two different days. Weather conditions were calm on both days with clear roads. During trial run 1, the temperature ranged from 10 to 15 degrees. During trial run 2, the temperature ranged from 20 to 25 degrees.
For both trials, the electric bus left the transportation center fully charged and with enough battery to travel an estimated 94 miles, according to the bus’s dashboard battery gauge. The estimated 94 miles is below the expected 100 to 200 mile range stated on New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s website.
After traveling 45 miles during trial 1, the battery was depleted with 5% charge remaining. Trial run 2 yielded better results, with 50% of the battery charge remaining after traveling 42 miles. This was due to the driver periodically turning down the heat inside the passenger cabin, a practice that is recommended to conserve battery energy.
After completing both bus routes, the bus returned to the transportation center to be charged. At the end of trail 1, the bus was charged inside the bus maintenance garage, an option that would not be viable long-term. The estimated time to fully recharge the battery, as indicated by the bus’s dashboard battery gauge, was 26 hours. At the end of trial 2, the bus was charged outdoors and the estimated time to fully recharge the battery was 84 hours. NYSERDA estimates that charging takes between 6 and 11 hours.
Charging the electric bus outdoors also proved to be problematic during the trials. When the electric bus was parked outside in the cold with a low battery, the bus blew a fuse multiple times. This is due to an increased need for energy to charge the battery and simultaneously run the heater to keep the battery warm. To help minimize cold weather impacts, it is recommended that electric buses be charged in a heated, indoor facility – an accommodation the district does not currently have.
The varying and lengthy charging times pose a challenge for the district – on a typical school day, there are only about five hours between morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up, limiting the available time for recharging.
Faster chargers have the capability to charge an electric bus in 2 to 4.5 hours, according to NYSERDA, but those chargers come at a higher cost (approximately $30,000 more per charger) and can reduce the life of the battery at a faster rate. The estimated cost to replace the battery is approximately $90,000. Due to the larger size of the faster chargers (approximately the size of a refrigerator), the district would need to expand its current bus parking facility to accommodate them.
Additionally, electric buses prioritize warming the battery first and the interior cabin second. As a result, interior cabin heat was not generated by the electric bus until it was halfway through trial run 1. According to F-M’s Transportation Supervisor Susan Stearns, it was unreasonably cold and uncomfortable.
“The temperature inside the passenger cabin was certainly not appropriate for adults nor students,” said Stearns.
“As a district, we must balance our environmental responsibility with the needs of our students, including reliable transportation,” said Corbin. “Based on the current capabilities of electric buses, the need for improved infrastructure to support them, among other factors, the district does not plan on purchasing electric buses at this time. However, we are hopeful that advancements in technology will make electric school buses a viable and cost-effective option for us in the future.”
| Trial Run 1 | Trial Run 2 | Expectation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road/weather conditions | Calm/quiet, clear roads, air temperature: 10-15 degrees | Calm/quiet, clear roads, air temperature: 20-25 degrees | |
| Estimated mileage on a full charge | 94 miles | 94 miles | 100 to 200 miles |
| Distance traveled | 45 miles | 42 miles | |
| % battery remaining at end of trip | 5% (interior passenger cabin heat turned on for entire duration of trip) | 50% (interior passenger cabin heat turned on/off intermittently) | |
| Estimated time to fully recharge | 26 hours (indoor charging in the bus maintenance garage – not a viable long-term charging location) | 84 hours (outdoor charging) | 6 to 11 hours |