Driving Change: The Future of Electric School Buses in NY

Clip: Season 2024 Episode 18 | 13m 24sVideo has Closed Captions

Adam Ruder from NYSERDA discusses how New York is funding electric school buses.

Adam Ruder from NYSERDA discusses how New York is funding electric school buses to cut emissions and costs.

Aired 05/03/2024 | Rating NR

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IN 2022, THE GOVERNOR SIGNED LEGISLATION THAT ESTABLISHED A DEADLINE FOR THE STATE TO TRANSITION TO ZERO EMISSION SCHOOL BUSES. SUPPORTERS SAY THESE EFFORTS WILL HELP REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND IMPROVE AIR QUALITY. UNDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL BOND ACT, FUNDING WAS MADE AVAILABLE TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE TO HELP WITH THE TRANSITION, WHICH CRITICS SAY CAN BE COSTLY. WE SPOKE WITH ADAM RUDER AT NYSERDA, ABOUT THE WORK BEING DONE TO REACH THIS GOAL. HERE'S THAT CONVERSATION. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY, ADAM. >> MY PLEASURE. >> AND TO SET OUT, CAN YOU HELP US UNPACK THE FUNDING THAT WAS SECURED FOR ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENTAL BOND ACT? >> SURE.

SO NEW YORK STATE HAS SET A TARGET OF 100% OF ALL NEW SCHOOL BUSES PURCHASED TO BE ZERO EMISSION BY 2027. AND ALL SCHOOL BUSES ON THE ROAD TO BE ZERO EMISSION BY 2035. WE KNOW THAT CURRENTLY SCHOOL BUS ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES COST MORE THAN DIESEL EQUIVALENCE, BUT TO HELP WITH COVERING THAT COST, WE'VE APPROVED $500 MILLION THROUGH GOVERNOR HOCHUL'S ENVIRONMENTAL BOND ACT, THAT WAS APPROVED IN 2022. THAT IS GOING EXCLUSIVELY TO ELECTRIFYING SCHOOL BUSES, TO REDUCE THE COST TO SCHOOLS AND TAXPAYERS OF BUYING ELECTRIC BUSES AND THE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S NEEDED TO FUEL THEM. >> AND WE'RE ABOUT TWO AND A HALF, THREE YEARS TO 2027, SO ARE WE ON TRACK TO MEETING THAT BENCHMARK? >> YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED TO SCHOOLS FROM ACROSS THE STATE AND HELPING SCHOOLS ACROSS THE STATE GETTING TOWARDS THIS GOAL. AND SO ONE OF THE KEY THINGS, THE FIRST STEP, REALLY, IS FOR SCHOOLS TO HELP DEVELOP TO DEVELOP AN ELECTRIFICATION PLAN. UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE FOR THEIR SCHOOL BUSES TO ELECTRIFY, WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THE ROUTES THAT DRIVE, WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE LOGISTICS, WHAT TECHNOLOGIES ARE GOING TO WORK FOR THE SCHOOLS. WHAT TYPE WHETHER THEY NEED POWER UPGRADES AT THEIR DEPOT, SO WE'RE WORKING WITH WELL OVER 100 SCHOOL DISTRICTS ALREADY ON THESE ELECTRIFICATION PLANS AND WE ENCOURAGE ALL SCHOOLS TO COME TO NYSERDA TO GET HELP WITH THIS, WE HAVE MONEY AND CAN PAY UP TO 100% OF THE COST OF THESE STUDIES. THAT'S THE FIRST STEP. AND SO AS I SAID, A NUMBER OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS, LARGE PORTION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE ARE ALREADY DOING THIS. WE ALSO HAVE SEEN DOZENS OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT ARE TAKING THE FIRST STEP AND BUYING THEIR FIRST FEW ELECTRIC BUSES. THAT COULD BE THROUGH OUR PROGRAM, AND WE'VE SEEN A FEW DOZEN SCHOOLS ALREADY APPLY SINCE OUR PROGRAM OPENED IN JUST AFTER THANKSGIVING LAST YEAR. AND ALSO, THROUGH THE FEDERAL MONEY THAT'S AVAILABLE THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY. THE CLEAN SCHOOL BUS PROGRAM WE'VE ALSO SEEN DOZENS OF SCHOOLS THAT ARE MAKING TAKING THESE FIRST STEPS IN TRYING TO GET FUNDING THROUGH THAT PROGRAM. SO BETWEEN ALL OF THESE ACTIONS, WE SEE SCHOOLS STARTING THE PROCESS AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE WANT TO SEE AT THIS POINT. WE KNOW THAT WE DON'T NEED TO GET TO 100% TOMORROW. >> RIGHT. >> BUT BY TAKING THESE FIRST ACTIONS WE THINK SCHOOLS WILL BE PREPARED AND WILL AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE BUSES WORK, WHAT SOME OF THE CHANGES MIGHT BE WITH THE BUSES, WHAT BUS ROUTES THEY'RE GOING TO WORK ON INITIALLY, AND MAYBE WHICH ONES THEY MIGHT WANT TO WAIT UNTIL A LITTLE LATER TOWARDS 2035 TO ELECTRIFY. BUT GETTING A SENSE OF HOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK, HOW THE BUSES WORK, HOW THE TECHNOLOGY WORKS, MAKING SURE THAT YOUR MECHANICS UNDERSTAND HOW THEY WORK AND THE BUS DRIVERS KNOW HOW THEY WORK. THAT'S REALLY THE FIRST STEP. AND WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF SCHOOLS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. >> AND ONE OF THE CHALLENGES HAS BEEN THE COST OF PURCHASING ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF CONCERN BECAUSE IT IS VERY COSTLY. SO ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO MITIGATE THAT CHALLENGE OR ANY PLANS TO HELP SECURE ADDITIONAL FUNDING? >> THROUGH NYSERDA'S NEW YORK SCHOOL BUS INCENTIVE PROGRAM, WE CAN COVER UP TO 100% OF THE DIFFERENCE IN THE COST BETWEEN A DIESEL BUS AND AN ELECTRIC BUS. AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT THE IMPACT OF THIS TO FALL ON LOCAL TAXPAYERS, WE WANT TO HELP WE WANT TO HELP PEOPLE GET STARTED ON THIS PROCESS. AND REALLY MAKE SURE THAT IN THESE EARLY DAYS WITH THE MARKET, THE BUSES ARE AFFORDABLE AND A VIABLE OPTION. WE KNOW THAT THE COSTS WILL COME DOWN OVER TIME. THE COST OF BATTERIES IS COMING DOWN AND AS THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS RAMP UP PRODUCTION AND THESE BECOME MORE COMMON, THERE WILL BE ECONOMIES OF SCALE AND THE COST WILL COME DOWN. SO WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON HELPING PEOPLE GET THESE FIRST FEW BUSES INTO THEIR FLEET, YOU KNOW, FIGURE THEM OUT, AND COVERING COVERING THE DIFFERENCE IN COST AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. AS I SAID, WE ALSO OFFER MONEY TO COVER THE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE. AND THEN THERE ARE OTHER PROGRAMS LIKE THROUGH THE ELECTRIC UTILITIES, WHERE THE ELECTRIC UTILITIES CAN HELP TO COVER SOME OF THE ELECTRICAL UPGRADE COSTS THAT ARE REQUIRED. OR MAY BE REQUIRED. AS BUSES ARE ELECTRIFIED AND YOU MIGHT NEED MORE POWER AT YOUR BUS GARAGE. >> SOME OF THE REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS HAVE SAID THAT THEY WANT TO PUSH BACK THE DEADLINE FROM 2027 TO 2045, AND INSTEAD, IMPLEMENT A FEASIBILITY STUDY TO DO A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT COURSE OF ACTION? >> SO LAST YEAR NYSERDA RELEASED AN ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUS ROADMAP, WHICH WHERE WE TRIED TO REALLY IDENTIFY WHAT WHERE THE MARKET IS NOW AND WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS THAT THE STATE HAS SET. WE THINK THAT THAT LAYS OUT A GOOD PLAN AND WE'RE NOW ACTING ON THAT PLAN. AS I MENTIONED, MANY OF MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE ALREADY DOING FEASIBILITY PLANS TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO ELECTRIFY THEIR FLEETS, SO WE HAVE THE MONEY AVAILABLE FOR ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE TO DO THIS. WE HIGHLY ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO IT. AND THE PLANNING PROCESS REALLY ONLY TAKES A FEW MONTHS TO DEVELOP THIS PLAN. WE THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY WHERE PEOPLE SHOULD BE FOCUSING RIGHT NOW. >> AND DO YOU THINK AWARENESS IS A CONCERN, ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO IMPLEMENT AN AWARENESS INITIATIVE TO HELP GARNER MORE SUPPORT FOR ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES ACROSS THE STATE? >> AWARENESS IS A BIG CHALLENGE, BECAUSE WITH ANY NEW TECHNOLOGY, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT THE UNKNOWN. AND SO WE WANT TO HELP BE OUT THERE, HELPING NOT JUST THE SCHOOLS, BUT ALSO THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND THE TECHNOLOGY. AND UNDERSTAND WHAT OPPORTUNITIES IT BRINGS. WE HAVE BEEN SPEAKING TO SCHOOLS ACROSS THE STATE AT BOTH THE TRANSPORTATION DIRECTORS AT THE SCHOOLS, THE SUPERINTENDENTS, THE BUSINESS OFFICIALS, REALLY ALL OF THE WE'VE TRIED TO REACH ALL OF THE KEY DECISION MAKERS AT THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, INCLUDING THE SCHOOL BOARDS, WHO PLAY A KEY ROLE AS WELL, AND BRING FACTUAL UNBIASSED INFORMATION TO THEM. INCLUDING WHERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES REMAIN, YOU KNOW, WE THINK THIS WORKS FOR A LOT OF FOLKS AND WORKS FOR DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE. BUT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU DON'T USE THIS FOR THE HARDEST TO ELECTRIFY CASES YET AND YOU FOCUS ON WHERE IS GOING TO BE THE EASIEST, BUT ALL OF THAT IS ABOUT AWARENESS. >> UH HUH. >> SIMILARLY FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC, WE ARE EAGER TO REACH EVERYONE AND THROUGH, ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE'RE DOING THAT IS THROUGH THE ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUS GUIDE BOOK THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED AND THIS IS REALLY HANDS ON, USER FRIENDLY MATERIALS, THAT EXPLAINS SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF SCHOOL BUSES, ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES, IT EXPLAINS HOW TO BRING THEM INTO YOUR OPERATIONS AND IT REALLY TRIES TO GET AT THE TYPICAL QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE HAVE WHEN TRYING TO BRING ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES INTO THEIR FLEET. TO BE A BIT OF A ONE STOP SHOP FOR INFORMATION THAT'S OUT THERE AND PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO TRY THIS. >> FROM YOUR PURVIEW, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT THE STATE OR LAWMAKERS COULD BE DOING TO HELP GARNER MORE SUPPORT FROM NEW YORKERS? >> THE KEY THING THAT WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON IS GETTING INFORMATION OUT THERE AND GETTING FACTUAL INFORMATION OUT THERE. WE THINK THAT'S REALLY THE KEY RIGHT NOW. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE PUT A LOT OF MONEY OUT THERE AND, YOU KNOW, $500 MILLION IS GOING TO REALLY BE ENOUGH TO GET STARTED ACROSS THE STATE ON THIS TRANSITION. BUT MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE AND UNDERSTANDS THE OPPORTUNITIES AND UNDERSTANDS THE CHALLENGES, YOU KNOW, IS REALLY GOING TO BE THE BIGGEST NEXT STEP. >> AND WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO ANY NEW YORKER THAT WAS RELUCTANT TO USING ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES, ARE THERE ANY WAYS TO HELP INCENTIVIZE THEM? >> YEAH, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF BENEFITS TO ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES. AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT A, YOU KNOW, REDUCING GREENHOUSE GASES. IT'S ALSO ABOUT HEALTH BENEFITS AND SAFETY BENEFITS AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS. HEALTH BENEFITS STANDPOINT, EVERY, YOU KNOW, DIESEL BUSES PUT OUT A LOT OF LOCAL POLLUTION THAT ESPECIALLY CAN GET SUCKED BACK INTO THE BUS AND MAKE THE AIR ON THE BUS MORE HARMFUL FOR STUDENTS TO BREATHE. IT CAN LEAD TO INCREASED ASTHMA RATES, AND OTHER LONG TERM HEALTH CHALLENGES FOR STUDENTS. SO ELIMINATING THAT IS GOING TO BE A MAJOR BENEFIT OF ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES, BEYOND THE CLIMATE BENEFITS AND ENERGY BENEFITS. THERE'S ALSO ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES ARE A LOT QUIETER THAN DIESEL BUSES. SO. >> UH HUH. >> WHAT WE'VE HEARD REPEATEDLY FROM SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS THAT DRIVE THEM IS THAT THEY SEE THIS AS A GREAT SAFETY BENEFIT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN HEAR INSTANCES THAT ARE HAPPENING OR STARTING ON THE BUS BEFORE THEY CAN GET OUT OF CONTROL, THEY CAN HAVE MORE ABILITY TO FOCUS ON THE ROAD THAN ON A DIESEL BUS. SO WE'VE SEEN DRIVERS REALLY LOVE THIS FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT. AND THEN ALSO FROM AN ECONOMIC STANDPOINT, IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT WITH THE WHILE THE UP FRONT COSTS OF SCHOOL BUSES, TODAY, IS HIGH, IT IS COMING DOWN, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF OPERATIONAL SAVINGS. IT'S CHEAPER TO DRIVE THEM ON A DAY BY DAY BASIS AND THEY'RE LOWER MAINTENANCE, SO WE SEE SCHOOLS SAVING MONEY OVER TIME AS THEY SWITCH TO ELECTRIC BUSES. >> AND APART FROM ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES, WHAT ARE SOME OTHER AREAS THAT YOU'RE HOPING TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. >> THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST EMITTERS OF GREENHOUSE GASES IN NEW YORK STATE. AND WE ARE WORKING ON NOT JUST ELECTRIFYING THE TRANSPORTATION, ALTHOUGH WE ARE WORKING ON ELECTRIFYING CARS AND TRUCKS AND TRANSIT BUSES AS WELL, BUT WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON EXPANDING ACCESS TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, PROVIDING MORE MOBILITY OPTIONS AND MAKING IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO CHOOSE LOW CARBON TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS, LIKE BIKING, OR WALKING OR TAKING THE BUS OR, YOU KNOW, AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT ESPECIALLY IN LOWER INCOME COMMUNITIES WHERE IT'S ALWAYS REALLY EXPENSIVE TO OWN A CAR ACROSS THE STATE. AND MAKING SURE THAT THE PEOPLE HAVE GOOD, RELIABLE AND OTHER LOW CARBON OPTIONS IS GOING TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THIS BROADER MISSION. >> WELL, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE A LOT OF IMPORTANT WORK AHEAD, BUT WE THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE TODAY. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE FOR NOW, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> IT'S BEEN MY PLEASURE. >> AND WE WERE SPEAKING WITH ADAM RUDER, DIRECTOR OF CLEAN TRANSPORTATION FOR THE NEW YORK STATE ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. >> AND WE'LL BRING YOU UPDATES ON THE PROGRESS BEING MADE TO TRANSITION TO ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES IN THE COMING YEARS, RIGHT HERE ON THE SHOW. >> FOR MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES AROUND CLIMATE INITIATIVES IN THE STATE, YOU CAN ALSO VISIT OUR WEBSITE. AGAIN, THAT'S AT NYNOW.ORG.