Here’s how the largest electric school bus transition in the US is going so far
Those big yellow diesel school buses are a thing of the past as the US moves to zero-emission transportation. For those wondering how students and drivers are reacting to the transition, the Montgomery County Public School, which currently operates the largest electric school bus fleet in the US, gives us an inside look at how it’s going so far.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is leading the charge for clean transportation to and from school, deploying the largest electric school bus fleet in the nation.
The school district expects to transition to a fully electric fleet within the next ten years as part of its pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 100% by 2035.
It received its first 25 electric school buses last year, installing the necessary infrastructure at one of its transportation depots. This year, MCPS added another 61, for a total of 86.
On a typical day, MCPS diesel buses use about 17,000 gallons of diesel fuel (nearly $80,000 at current prices). More importantly, they emit harmful emissions that can negatively impact student health and the communities they serve.
As the school district rolls out its electric buses, they are finding not only do drivers love them but so do the students.
Drivers and students adjust to electric bus transition
Electric buses are an upgrade from their diesel-emitting counterparts in several ways other than just zero-emissions. For one, they are much calmer rides. Transportation director Greg Salois at MCPS tells Bethesda Magazine bus drivers are enjoying the new upgrades, saying:
Overall, they love it. There’s no noise.
Eric Melgar, a Rockville resident and bus driver for MCPS for a year and a half, says the electric buses are modern, eco-friendly, and more spacious than the outdated diesel models. He adds the students love the buses, too, and has noticed his students are quieter and better behaved.
They automatically fall in love with it. It’s a much smoother ride – you can tell the difference going over bumps and turns.
On a full charge, the electric buses – made by Thomas Built Buses – will go over 100 miles. They can also fit seven more passengers. According to depot manager Jim Beasly, the EV buses are longer by four feet.
Beasly adds loud diesel buses can be challenging to yell over, while the quieter environment promotes better student behavior. Bus drivers participate in several hours of training before getting behind the wheel.
And one of the best parts, it comes at no additional cost to the school district.
MCPS is partnering with Highland Electric to upgrade 326 diesel buses to electric by 2025. Acting as a dealer, Highland buys the electric school buses from Thomas Built on MCPS’s behalf. Highland then charges MCPS the same price it would pay for diesel, absorbing the difference and collecting federal and state incentives to offset it.
Electric school buses save districts money over time with less maintenance and no fuel costs. Salois says the cost to drive an electric bus is around $2,600 for every 15,000 miles, while diesel costs around $9,000.
With 1,230 buses out daily, MCPS still needs to transition over 900 to fully electric over the next ten years. Learn more about how stackable electric school bus incentives make it nearly free for school districts to make the switch.
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Environment
U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025.
Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters
U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.
Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.
Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.
Oil futures, 5 years
The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.
Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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