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At Dominion Energy, we are committed to helping Virginia become a leader in clean pupil transportation, while reducing our carbon footprint and helping our customers do the same. In 2019, we announced that we would partner with Virginia school districts as they began replacing diesel buses in their fleets with electric models.

We will continue our commitment by providing fast-charging solutions to help school districts that receive electric school bus funding from federal and state grants. This ongoing initiative will further benefit our environment, our communities, our schools, and most importantly, our children.

IIJA Electric School Bus Charging Infrastructure Program

Webinar Hosted on July 12, 2022

electric school bus with charger attached

Cleaner Air & Zero Emissions

Replacing one diesel bus can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54,000 pounds each year.

The air quality inside a diesel bus is 5x worse than outside the bus. Replacing a diesel bus with an electric bus significantly improves air quality for students inside the bus and for the communities we serve.

electric school bus connection to the grid

Vehicle-to-Grid Technology

The buses are all electric, and so can be used as portable batteries. When not in use, they can be tapped as an energy resource through vehicle-to-grid technology. If energy needs are high or if renewable resources are intermittent, the batteries can provide stability to the grid. During a power outage or emergency, the batteries could serve as mobile power stations.

 children and adult on a school bus

Increased Safety

Electric buses are quiet, allowing for better communication between drivers and students.

electric school bus

Lower Cost & Less Maintenance

An electric bus reduces operation and maintenance costs for schools by 60% as compared to a diesel model.

FAQs

The EPA recently announced rebate and grant programs which provide $5 billion over five years to accelerate the adoption of electric school buses. Dominion Energy is supporting this initiative by offering fast-charging solutions to help school districts that receive EPA funding. These offerings include utility coordination, grid upgrades, construction, and charger installation.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provides $5 billion for the EPA Clean School Bus Program to replace existing school buses with clean, zero-emission school buses. Nearly $1 billion of rebate funding was awarded in October 2022. Future clean school bus funding opportunities can be found on the EPA website.

All school districts in Dominion Energy Virginia’s service territory awarded rebates and grants from the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program are eligible. School districts will be asked to enter into a Participation Agreement with Dominion Energy to participate.

Read more about the EPA Clean School Bus Program.

With Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, electric school buses function as mobile batteries, storing energy until it is needed. When energy demands are high or if energy resources are intermittent, the batteries in electric school buses can be tapped to help stabilize the grid and meet customer demands.
The current V2G approved bus is a Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner® C2 Jouley®; however, Dominion Energy is continuing to evaluate additional buses in the future.
These buses have a range of 120 to 135 miles on a full charge. It takes approximately 3 hours to fully charge these vehicles. The average daily round trip school bus route is 80 miles.
Dominion Energy will take ownership of the battery and use it for stationary energy storage, supporting the electric distribution grid. Dominion Energy’s Electric School Bus Infrastructure Program could give a second life to your bus battery by using it for stationary energy storage.
Schools will pay for charging based on their existing rate schedule, with the exception of charging that occurs after a V2G call. In that instance, Dominion Energy replenishes battery at no charge to customer within three hours.

Have more questions? Contact us today at electricschoolbuses@dominionenergy.com.

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