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RSU 12 superintendent: electric buses now in service; district to use Brook solar farm power at 7¢/kWh
Summary
In the superintendent’s report the RSU 12 leader said two electric buses are operating (one with a heater defect to be fixed under warranty), batteries are meeting an expected ~100-mile winter range, and the district will start charging buses under a Brook solar farm power-purchase agreement at 7 cents per kilowatt-hour in January.
In the superintendent’s verbal report to the RSU 12 board, district leadership said two electric buses have entered service after a multi-year delay. The superintendent noted one bus has a heater that is not producing enough heat and will be repaired under warranty; the other bus’s heater is functioning and drivers have reported favorable comments about the vehicles.
"Both electric buses work...the charge seems to last about 100 miles, which is what we expected," the superintendent said. She added the district expects to begin charging the buses under a power-purchase agreement with the Brook solar farm in January at about 7¢ per kilowatt-hour.
Board members and the superintendent discussed typical new-vehicle warranty fixes and driver reactions. The report did not include detailed lifecycle cost comparisons or the full charging/infrastructure schedule; the superintendent said drivers have begun riding the buses and that one minor heater problem would be addressed by the manufacturer under warranty.
The superintendent also flagged recent weather that led to a canceled school day and reminded members that the district has used five storm days so far this year, a factor in calendar planning ahead of Juneteenth.
