New funding helps put hybrid electric school buses on U.S. highways in two years

A recent funding award to Advanced Energy’s Hybrid Electric School Bus (HESB) project puts the nation two years away from cleaner, more fuel efficient buses on highways. The State Technologies Advancement Collaborative (STAC) recently announced that it will fund the HESB project with $840,000. The project is one of 11 to receive funding as part of the Energy Efficiency, Research, Demonstration, Deployment and Rebuild America Projects Solicitation. The 11 projects are valued at $11.5 million and cover five technical areas. Approximately 61 proposals from 41 states, valued at approximately $78 million, were submitted.

Advanced Energy’s HESB project offers many significant benefits for improving the air quality of North Carolina and the United States. The project will help further the development and commercialization of plug-in hybrid vehicle technology and, if appropriate, promote the adoption of plug-in hybrid school buses throughout the country.

“STAC’s funding will be used to help purchase 20 hybrid electric school buses from one of the three major bus manufacturers,” said Ewan Pritchard, HESB program manager. “We look to have these buses on the road within two years. These buses will run in eleven states throughout the country”

STAC funding also makes it possible for the project to gather operational data from buses running in school districts around the country and to provide an updated economic feasibility study with real-world data.

STAC is a five-year pilot program funded by the U.S Department of Energy and directed by an executive committee. The committee includes representatives from the National Association of State Energy Officials, the Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Office of Fossil Energy and an independent member.

Advanced Energy is committed to a future in which energy needs are met at reasonable costs and with the least negative consequences. The non-profit corporation also strives to create economic, environmental and societal benefits through innovative and market-based approaches to energy issues.

For more information on the Hybrid Electric School Bus project, call 919-857-9000 or visit www.hybridschoolbus.org.