1 week Ago
While driving to the movies, my family and I heard on the radio that Connecticut received a $38.9 million grant to convert the CTfastrak bus fleet to electric . This made me think about the only types of buses I had ridden: conventional school buses.
I became curious about when conventional school buses would change to electric school buses . I started thinking and it came down to three major questions: why this change is necessary, what enables this change, and where Connecticut is in this process. Conventional school buses release harmful emissions that not only pollute the environment but also lead to potential health issues such as asthma and cancer in children.
According to the CDC, six and a half percent of kids under the age of 18 have asthma. Zero-emission buses can help reduce these numbers and prevent worsening asthma symptoms for children. Using an electric school bus means “ one thousand four hundred and seventy-four tons of Carbon emissions can be eliminated throughout its twelve-year lifespan.
” Converting to all-electric school buses benefits health and preserves the environment for future generations. Several factors enable this change. One obvious factor is funding.
Connecticut has been promised $21.5 million by the Biden-Harris administration’s “Investing in America” agenda to help accelerate Connecticut’s progression to more electric school buses. Ridgefield, Fairfield, Branford, Bridgeport, West Hartford, and East Hartford are the six out of the one hundred thirty-eight school districts in Connecticut that will benefit from this round of funding.
As a result of this funding, there will be ninety-one more electric buses for school children. Branford allocated $60 million, including Environmental Protection Agency grant money, and is partnering with Zum to transition to an all-electric school bus fleet within the next five years. Another factor is safety.
Following the Hamden bus fire, many people have been concerned about the safety of electric buses. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the cause of the fire “was moisture inside the high-voltage lithium-ion battery system.” The fire alone did not harm anyone because those buses had been isolated two days prior due to charging issues.
To prevent fires like this, the Federal Transit Administration has published guidelines to mitigate these risks. Fire Chiefs in Connecticut are working with the National Fire Protection Agency to manage new complications with Lithium-ion batteries and prevent fires. Some examples are that lithium battery fires can take four to 24 hours and need three to five times more water than regular fires of similar scale before extinguishing.
In addition to stopping these fires, firefighters must also pack and store the batteries to prevent secondary fires. A third factor is infrastructure. School buses will retire back to the bus yard to refuel.
However, with the modernization of school buses, the gas pumps will have to be replaced with electric chargers. To take this improvement one step further Connecticut should aim to make the charger’s energy zero carbon electricity. As electric buses are implemented, it’s important to continue focusing on sustainable infrastructure, such as renewable energy sources like solar and wind, to reduce the state’s Carbon footprint.
Connecticut has made progress in transitioning to electric school buses, but there is more to be done. California is leading the way in adopting electric school buses, followed by New York, Maryland, Florida, Virginia, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Connecticut needs a committed timeline like California, which made the year 2035 its target.
Connecticut recently filed a bill to create a zero-emission vehicle roadmap by Nov 15 and to create a forty-member Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Coordinating Council to manage plans. As Connecticut continues to move towards greener transportation pragmatically, electric school buses will be a major contributor. In this school year, I am eager to see an increasing number of electric school buses on the roads of Connecticut, further contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable future for the state.
Adhista Kanuri is a ninth grader living in Glastonbury..
