Electric school buses headed to Virginia care of Dominion Energy
The largest electric school bus deployment in the nation is underway as Dominion Energy moves to deploy 50 buses across 16 localities of Virginia.
Merely phase one of a larger plan, the deployment — undertaken through vendor Thomas Built Buses — is expected to be finished by the end of 2020. Each locality selection for the program was based on the benefits batteries would bring to the electric grid and the school divisions that stand to benefit include Alexandria, Arlington, Charles City, Chesapeake, Chesterfield, Fairfax, Hampton, Louisa, Middlesex, Norfolk, Pittsylvania, Powhatan, Prince William, Richmond City, Virginia Beach, and Waynesboro.
“We are excited to move forward with our commitment to bringing the benefits of electric school buses to the customers and communities we serve,” Thomas Farrell, II, Dominion Energy chairman, president and CEO, said. “This is an innovative, sustainable solution that will help the environment, protect children’s health, make the electric grid stronger, and free up money for our schools.”
The buses come with an additional benefit for the region: when not in use, they will be able to supplement the grid by storing and injecting energy into it. As far as environmental changes go, they are also predicted to reduce emissions, as well as operation and maintenance costs for schools by up to 60 percent.
The larger project calls for a complete change to busing in the region. While phase one seeks 50 electric buses by the end of 2020, phase two calls for at least 1,000 by the end of 2025. Yet it’s not just about adding buses, either. Phase three would replace 50 percent of diesel buses in Dominion Energy’s operating area with these electric buses within the same timeframe. Then it would push to eliminate diesel bus use under Dominion Energy’s footprint by 2030.
