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District staff outline costly path to bus electrification; $5.1M infrastructure estimate
Summary
Transportation staff summarized a multi-year NYSERDA/Wendell study. Infrastructure phases could extend to 2036; district estimate for power distribution and chargers is about $5.1 million (excluding vehicles), making phased hybrid steps more realistic in the near term.
Transportation staff presented findings from a multi-year study with Wendell Companies and NYSERDA on electrifying the district’s bus fleet. The study’s infrastructure roadmap includes phased power-distribution and fire-protection upgrades; staff said phase planning spans roughly 2027 to 2036 and that the initial infrastructure-only estimate is about "$5,100,000 over that many years" — a figure they emphasized does not include the cost of electric buses themselves.
Staff framed electrification as technically feasible but expensive and operationally complex: fire-protection systems, chargers and distribution upgrades would be required to charge an entire fleet safely. The presenter recommended smaller initial steps such as adopting hybrid smaller vehicles and incremental electrification where routes allow. The board acknowledged the study’s "sticker shock" and asked staff to continue evaluating cost-effective phased approaches and grant opportunities.
No board vote was taken; transportation staff will return with further analysis and potential pilot options.
