School buses constitute 80 percent of buses around the country – but only one percent of school buses are electrified. Sue Gander of WRI and Matt Stanberry of Highland Electric are leading the school bus electrification transition from two complementary standpoints. WRI have laid out their ambition to create “unstoppable momentum” to electrify all 480,000 school buses in the United States by 2030, centering equity in the process. Meanwhile, Highland Electric is behind the largest electric school bus order in history earlier this year in Maryland. Through Highland’s innovative funding model, a school district leases the buses from the company but pays the same as it would with its existing diesel fleet.
In this episode of EV Hub Live , Sue and Matt will discuss how to translate ambitious plans into reality. The conversation will cover innovative financing models for electrification, what it means to center equity considerations in school bus transport, and priorities for the near term.
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5rnGelrSOw