Another Day, Another Electric Bus Fire, School Buses No Less, and in Vermont, Where Green Political Correctness Is Mandatory
Stache gives us the details on four electric school buses that “burned overnight at Allen Brook School in Williston, Vermont, forcing the Champlain Valley School District to cancel classes due to the loss of student transportation.”
That’s not the only problem with the buses as this article noted last October:
Maintenance problems with six electric buses that were added to the Champlain Valley School District fleet this fall and stationed at Allen Brook School have district administrators rethinking their commitment to going electric.
In a report to the school board Tuesday, administrators said the new buses “have experienced a high rate of maintenance-related downtime during the first two months of use.” Their time off the road has caused bus availability shortages and stressed the district’s busing system, administrators said.
Consequently, the district’s next purchase of buses — two new ones for next school year — will be non-electric “to stabilize our fleet while the reliability of electric options improves.”
The introduction of electric school buses at CVSD began with a pilot program in 2021. CVSD was one of three Vermont school districts to receive two e-buses in a state-run grant program funded through a settlement with Volkswagon after the carmaker was found to be rigging federal emissions tests. The program was a test of reliability, especially as it relates to e-bus performance in the cold.
The two electrics, which were stationed at Allen Brook, performed well enough for the district to put in for an order of six new buses in 2024.
At the time, CVSD Chief Operations Officer Gary Marckres said the district planned to eventually convert half of its 60-bus fleet to electrics.
The six new buses were acquired with the help of a federal Environmental Protection Agency grant. The district beefed up charging infrastructure in the Allen Brook School parking lot to accommodate them. The e-buses promised to be quieter than their gas-powered counterparts, as well as emissions-free…
Meanwhile, new maintenance issues have also cropped up with the original two buses acquired in 2021. The manufacturer, Canada-based Lion Electric, has reorganized under bankruptcy and will no longer service buses in the United States or honor warranties, school administrators said.
“We cannot find a maintenance provider to keep these buses operational,” administrators reported.
#EVs #Buses #SchoolBuses #Vermont #Fire #aintenanceIssues
The city of Regina in Saskatchewan (where temperatures swing from +40 C to -40 C) had an emergency yesterday when one of the 7 electric buses purchased last year started smelling of smoke and needed emergency action. In December, the head of the bus union said it was a mistake to purchase the buses because when it's cold they can only run for about 2 hours! https://x.com/JustBins/status/2032258335303745876 ; https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jamie-sarkonak-electric-buses-are-a-disaster-for-every-canadian-city-that-tries-them
It's just a matter of time before the electric buses will be off the road - either burned up or broken and non-functional. That will be a good day!.. The decision to purchase these buses was a poor decision as there has been enough information to accurately predict the failures for a few years now. The decision to continue their use is strictly incompetence. And the taxpayers in these school districts need to get very concerned about the financial management of the school district. It is highly doubtful that this is the only bad financial decision being made.
I would not let my child ride one of these high risk machines.