The recipients were determined through a random lottery system that first devoted funds to districts serving disadvantaged communities — defined as places where more than 20 percent of students live in poverty or districts that are rural or that serve Native American students.
The funding, through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed last year, could lead to 46 new, electric buses statewide to ferry students, according to data released by the EPA.
Missouri's biggest winner is the El Dorado Springs R-II School District in Cedar County in southwest Missouri, which could receive as much as $5.1 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure and 13 electric buses. Superintendent Heath Oats said the district's diesel costs last year topped $70,000 and that electric costs are cheaper.
"I have an interest in electric vehicles and saving money for the district," he said.
Bus company First Student will own the buses used by the district, but the school system will own the electric vehicle charging infrastructure that is installed. A planned solar farm on district property could help provide power to the buses, Oats said, and a bus can travel about 150 miles on a full charge.
Oats added that the district wants "to make sure that our city has the electrical capacity first." If not, the district might have to limit the number of buses it buys.
In northeast Missouri, the Knox County R-I School District is no stranger to the vehicles. In 2021, it became the first in the state to get an electric school bus and has since acquired two more.
Now, the district's $1.58 million chunk of the new grant will bring its number of electric buses to seven — nearly half of its 15-bus fleet — once its four new buses arrive and replace an equal number of their diesel predecessors.
"Any time you can get stuff for free — especially things as expensive as school buses — it's a good deal," said Andy Turgeon, the superintendent of the district. An electric bus can cost up to $400,000, about twice that of a diesel bus, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. But grants and partnerships can drastically slash a district's out-of-pocket costs for an electric bus.
The Knox County district's experience with the vehicles — and a website it runs to provide detailed information comparing its electric and diesel buses — has made it a widely known authority on the technology and turned Turgeon's phone into something of a hotline for those weighing electric conversions of their own.
"When the EPA opened up the applications, I probably fielded somewhere between 10 to 20 phone calls a week and probably as many emails," said Turgeon. "It was crazy. I couldn't wait for the deadline."
But now that the grants have been awarded, he says his phone "has just been burning up again," thanks to fresh waves of questions from the winners.
Turgeon says, over time, he has received calls from schools all over the country and even from a company in Mexico, wondering about adding electric vehicles to their fleets.
"I give them all our experiences, good and bad," he said.
"We're going to save at least $5,000 per bus per year in operation costs," said Turgeon. "When you have seven (electric) buses, that adds up pretty quick."
As the buses age, he said the district stands to reap additional savings thanks to lower maintenance costs compared with the upkeep needed for internal combustion engines — even down to the tires.
"The tires are lasting twice as long because the weight is evenly distributed," said Turgeon, referencing the placement of the batteries between the axles. "It doesn't wear on the tires as bad."
That feature helps in other ways, too — like helping make for a smoother ride, by preventing the electric buses from bouncing as much as their conventional counterparts. And gone are the usual rattles and vibrations that riders experience on buses with diesel engines.
One downside, Turgeon said, is the limited long-range capabilities of the buses. That's why he said he doesn't plan to fully electrify the school's fleet, since diesel buses currently offer the best way to shuttle sports teams across the state, or take students on a field trip to the St. Louis Science Center.
The district has sent out requests for bids from different bus companies that are due Nov. 15. After reviewing those offers, Turgeon says he hopes to place an order for the vehicles around the end of the month and expects to receive them about a year from now.
The Cassville R-IV School District, about 16 miles from the Arkansas border in southwest Missouri, was awarded nearly $2 million for five electric buses and charging infrastructure.
"These buses are better for our environment," said Merlyn Johnson, superintendent. "The data says it's better for our children riding these buses. There's less noise on these buses. ... It's a cleaner all-around vehicle for children to ride on. They're safe, they're high-functioning."
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