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Sudbury ESC explores electric school buses and may receive $50,000 in technical assistance
Summary
Committee members discussed early-stage talks with Lincoln‑Sudbury, MassCEC and bus companies about adding electric buses to a future bus contract; Sudbury may qualify for approximately $50,000 in MassCEC-supported technical assistance and Eversource indicated the depot likely has sufficient capacity.
The Town of Sudbury Energy & Sustainability Committee on June 16 devoted substantial discussion to early planning for electric school buses, including talks with the Lincoln‑Sudbury Regional School District, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and bus vendors.
Eric Simms, the town’s Sustainability Coordinator, said discussions are preliminary but encouraging; they include whether electric buses can be incorporated into a future leased transportation contract. MassCEC potentially offers free Electric Bus Fleet Advisory Services valued at about $50,000 that would supply a roadmap and implementation plan if Sudbury qualifies. Simms said PowerOptions will need four to five weeks to produce the decarbonization roadmap once facility data are submitted; the June 30 grant deadline will not be met and the committee is instead targeting a December submission.
Sandra Duran, Combined Facilities Director, reported Eversource reviewed the bus depot and determined it likely has sufficient electrical capacity for charging, though technical questions remain around battery sizing, charging requirements and overnight charging logistics. Committee members asked staff to coordinate offline with school and facilities planners and to place electric school buses on the next meeting agenda for a detailed update.
Next steps: Eric and Sandra will coordinate and report back at the July meeting; if accepted for MassCEC assistance, the town would receive technical support to develop an electrification roadmap.
