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Board authorizes awareness certificate to pursue EPA clean‑bus rebates; DTE to fund initial chargers
Summary
The board authorized a representative to sign the certification required for the EPA Clean Bus Rebate application (due Jan. 9, 2025). Staff said the district will apply for three more electric buses, EPA rebates are typically about $200,000 per bus, estimated unit costs are roughly $408,000–$450,000, and DTE agreed to install initial charging infrastructure under a bidirectional‑charging study.
The Anchor Bay School District Board voted to authorize a board representative to sign the awareness certification required for an EPA Clean Bus Rebate application due Jan. 9, 2025.
Assistant Superintendent Todd Rathbun told the board the district plans to apply for three additional electric buses and that EPA rebates and state grants would likely cover much of the purchase cost. "An electric bus depends on size, of course, but for a 79 passenger bus, it was about $408,000 for a bus," Rathbun said, and he offered $450,000 as a conservative per‑bus guesstimate including extended warranty and options.
Rathbun said DTE Energy has agreed to pay for the initial charging infrastructure for a three‑bus installation under a pilot arrangement in which the utility would monitor chargers and test bidirectional charging (drawing power from bus batteries back into the grid during peak periods). "We are the 1st district in the state of Michigan to have entered into that agreement with DTE," Rathbun said, and he credited the partnership with speeding the installation timeline.
Board members asked how many chargers DTE would provide; staff said three chargers were included in the initial arrangement and future charger funding would likely rely on state or EPA grants or further negotiation with DTE. The board approved the motion to authorize Mr. Richards to sign the awareness certificate on behalf of the district in a roll‑call vote.
Next steps: staff will submit the awareness certification as part of the application packet and pursue grant funding for any additional chargers required if more buses are funded.
