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Las Cruces superintendents say electric school‑bus pilots face software, charger and maintenance gaps
Summary
Chief operations staff told legislators that of five electric buses in LCPS's pilot, software and charging failures limit use; lack of local maintenance and charging infrastructure—and towing costs to El Paso—make the buses operationally fragile.
LAS CRUCES — Members of the Legislative Education Study Committee pressed Las Cruces Public Schools officials about the district’s electric‑bus pilot after operations staff described persistent technical problems that undercut expected benefits.
Steve Rodriguez, LCPS chief of operations, told the committee the district currently has five electric buses; four were described as operational but several are suffering from software and charging failures. “Currently, 3 of them, they won't take a charge,” Rodriguez said, adding that one bus was in El Paso for maintenance and that charger vendor availability has been an issue.
Rodriguez said the district has faced multiple operational constraints: vendors exiting the market or failing to provide reliable charger hardware and software updates, limited local capacity for specialized maintenance, and route lengths that strain battery range. “We have to tow it because it's not gonna make it all the way,” he said, describing cases where buses cannot be driven back from distant runs.
Committee members asked about comparative costs and training. Superintendent Reese and Rodriguez said EV vehicles carry higher upfront costs — Reese offered an example that a heavy‑duty truck EV option can be $20,000–$30,000 more — and that districts currently incur extra maintenance and transport costs, including towing fees that Rodriguez estimated at roughly $2,500 per tow to El Paso when in‑district repairs are not possible.
Officials urged caution in scaling EV fleets without concurrent investment in charging infrastructure, local maintenance training and route redesign. Rodriguez recommended pilots that include provisions for maintenance training and broader vehicle and charger coverage rather than a single‑school deployment, noting that a one‑school pilot can be impractical when buses run routes that serve multiple campuses.
The committee heard that students generally like the electric buses when they operate, but panelists said the technology is still maturing and the state pilot design should account for the additional operational supports districts need to realize long‑term benefits.
