Las Cruces Public Schools board approves state electric school bus pilot and related charging agreements

Las Cruces Public Schools’ Board of Education on Feb. 17 unanimously approved participation in New Mexico’s two-year pilot of purpose-built electric school buses and related charging and grant agreements.

The board voted 4-0 to approve the New Mexico all-electric purpose-built zero-emission school bus pilot project, including the district’s application for a state waiver related to a door-window dimension that is marginally outside New Mexico specifications but, according to the presenter, meets federal standards. The motion to approve was moved by Vice President Wofford and seconded by Secretary Nolan; the board re-voted to explicitly include the waiver application and again approved it unanimously.

District staff said the pilot will bring two Type A electric buses to LCPS in late March. Mark Nestland, project manager for GreenPower Motor Company, said the buses will arrive March 20, drivers and mechanics will receive training the week of March 25, and the buses will run beginning March 26 through the end of the school year. Nestland told the board the state will use one bus charged on a Level 3 fast charger and one on a Level 2 charger so the state can compare operations and charging infrastructure performance.

"A pilot is a pilot," Nestland said, describing the program as a data-gathering exercise to evaluate range, charging turnaround and real-world performance across different climates and terrains.

Board members asked how the pilot relates to LCPS’s existing electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. District staff and Nestland said the two GreenPower pilot buses are state-owned for the duration of the pilot (the state will own the buses and the charging equipment); the district will host the equipment and collect operational data. Nestland said GreenPower’s manufacturing and North American headquarters are opening in Santa Teresa, near Las Cruces, and that the company provides on-site support during pilots.

The board also approved a New Mexico Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School award described on the record as a $700,000 grant with a local-match component and federal match for the remainder; the district will use those funds to continue Safe Routes programming and related infrastructure work. The motion to approve the NMDOT grant passed 4-0.

Separately, the board approved a customer agreement with El Paso Electric (part of the state’s Take Charge New Mexico program) to procure, install and activate Level 2 EV charging facilities on district property. The district will receive the equipment title after installation and will be responsible for maintaining the equipment for at least five years; with board approval, some charging capacity will be open to public use with fees to cover maintenance and software. The Take Charge agreement passed unanimously.

All three items—the pilot approval (inclusive of the waiver application), the NMDOT Safe Routes award, and the Take Charge customer agreement—were recorded as approved by roll call, each with a recorded 4-0 vote.

What’s next: district staff will coordinate logistics with the state and GreenPower, finalize training dates for drivers and mechanics, and implement the charging installations in partnership with El Paso Electric. The pilot’s operational data will be collected and shared with the state at the conclusion of the pilot.