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District hears detailed plan to electrify buses and heavy fleet; grant funding will determine final cost
Summary
District staff and Highland Electric Fleets presented a plan to replace eight buses and install chargers under a 12-year bundled contract. Highland said secured HVIP funding reduces costs but the project remains roughly $41,000 short of a statutory 4217 cost-savings threshold without additional grants; the board asked staff for more detail and vendor guarantees.
District staff invited Highland Electric Fleets to present a comprehensive electrification plan for school buses and heavier district vehicles. Adam Blau and Tristan Isidore of Highland outlined a bundled, 12-year procurement and service model that includes vehicles, chargers, maintenance, charge management and an extended warranty that Highland said shifts battery and charger replacement risk to the vendor. Highland recommended procuring four rear-engine Type D buses and four Type A buses (two wheelchair-capable), citing BYD as a potential OEM and estimating a 12-year bundled fleet cost of about $1.6 million if several state and federal grants are secured. Highland said the secured CARB HVIP voucher narrows costs but leaves a $41,000 gap to meet a Government Code 4217 cost-savings test unless additional grants or vendor concessions are identified.
Trustees asked detailed operational questions: route ranges and topography, charging strategies, maintenance and mechanic training, battery replacement and warranty terms, and depot constraints (including lease and site relocation risk). Highland said EV ranges of 120-130 miles are realistic for district routes, proposed a mix of DC fast and 60 kW dual-port chargers with a route-readiness guarantee, and said grants (HVIP, EPA Clean School Bus, CEC RECESS, LCFS credits) and SCE tariff Rule 29 are central to the project's economics. Staff said a 42 17 public hearing with required findings would be required for the energy-services procurement and that staff will return with additional procurement and grant details for board consideration.
