Electric school buses are coming to Washington State.
A bill has been submitted to the governor. He has signed it. And it became official on Saturday (4/6/24).
Washington State schools will start transitioning to electric buses. But wait, not so fast. We still have a few hoops that we must jump through first, the biggest one being a state report that's being compiled that will be delivered to the Governor in June of 2025. The hope is that that report will detail how to make the conversion to electric buses for Washington schools.
Personally, I'm all for converting any fleet vehicles to electric, but I'm glad for the delay. Battery technology is changing so quickly that by 2025 we could find a whole new battery system that'll be cheaper, safer, and more efficient. We are already starting to see some battery changes and improvements in technology showing up in consumer vehicles. Some Tesla vehicles are now using iron phosphate batteries. Mercedes is all excited about solid-state batteries. (We'll see how that plays out.)
My other concern is how are we going to pay for all of this? I realize an all-electric fleet of school buses will be cheaper to maintain. But where are they going to come from?
BYD is one of the best electric bus manufacturers in the world, but they are also based in China. (That could be a problem.) Other bus manufacturers in the USA are starting to build electric buses, but do they have the best battery technology?
These are all questions that don't have answers today, but probably will have answers in mid 2025. So, If you're all freaked out about electric school buses. (I know I will miss the smell of burning diesel too.) Just chill. We have a year and a half to figure it out.
That's plenty of time, isn't it?
Oh, wait a minute, I forgot. Politics are involved.
Climate Commitment Act - Washington State Department of Ecology
Vintage School Buses
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Gallery Credit: Marco
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