Beaverton transportation office details electric-bus rollout and managed‑charging savings
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Summary
Transportation administrator Craig Beaver told the Beaverton School District board the district expects to reach 100 electric school buses by April, has installed 105 chargers, is piloting vehicle-to-grid with PGE, and saw managed charging cut an example meter bill from roughly $60,000 to $13,000.
Beaverton School District’s transportation department reported Feb. 3 that the district’s electrification program is nearing a 100-bus milestone, with infrastructure and managed charging already producing substantial operational savings.
Craig Beaver, the district’s transportation administrator, said the district has 81–85 electric buses in service now and expects to reach about 100 buses by April. Beaver said the district has deployed 105 chargers and completed most of its charger installation work. "Right now, we have 85 buses, or 81 buses in service right now. By April, we'll reach a 100," Beaver said.
Beaver also described savings from managed charging and a vehicle‑to‑grid pilot with Portland General Electric (PGE). In one example, he said a meter with 36 chargers used 67,000 kilowatt hours in January; under managed charging that meter’s bill was about $13,000 compared with an estimated $60,000 without managed charging. "It's just a tremendous asset to us," Beaver said of the managed-charging approach.
He described a $20 million grant that funds part of the program and said supplier delays have pushed final deliveries into March or April; the district has requested a 180‑day extension from the EPA. Beaver said 48 of 50 antiquated buses tied to the grant have been scrapped and the final two would be removed this week.
On staffing, Beaver reported 327 total transportation employees districtwide, including about 285 drivers; he noted improved retention with 45 hires and 29 separations so far this year and said the district is actively training additional drivers. He also said the district is exploring smaller electric vans and Type A electric buses to serve special programs and long-distance routes.
Board members asked about using the district’s charging infrastructure to support broader public charging or regional shared‑transportation goals; Beaver said vehicle-to‑building and public charging are possible future phases that would require additional policy work and partnership.
What’s next: The district will continue deliveries through March–April, pursue the EPA extension for grant closeout, and return to the board as pilots and potential public‑charging policies evolve.