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Eden board hears that electric-bus mandate will force costly upgrades; 13 of 25 routes currently unsupported
Summary
District transportation presenter Mary said a NYSERDA/Wendell study found 13 of Eden’s roughly 25 routes cannot be served by current battery sizes, one route may never be feasible, and electric buses would require major infrastructure upgrades and higher per-bus costs.
Mary, the district transportation presenter, told the board the state’s zero-emission school-bus timeline requires all new bus purchases to be zero-emission starting in 2027 and conversion of the entire fleet by 2035.
“We applied for and received partial funding for a NYSERDA study, and Wendell took our route data,” Mary said, describing a route analysis delivered last week. She said Wendell identified roughly 25 bus routes and concluded that 13 routes cannot currently be served by available battery sizes; of those, one route—serving a high-needs student who uses a wheelchair—likely will require two buses per day unless battery technology advances.
The presenter listed infrastructure needs the district will face if it proceeds with electrification: a fire-suppression system in the maintenance building, a larger maintenance bay, additional hydrants and a pumping station at Schoolview, and expanded parking because electric buses must be parked about 10 feet apart. Mary gave a ballpark cost for a full-size electric school bus of between $440,000 and $500,000, compared with her estimate of about $135,000 for a diesel bus.
Board members asked about charging in cold weather, manufacturer capacity, and whether National Grid can support additional load. Mary said Wendell included cold-temperature assumptions in the route study and that National Grid currently believes it can power the district’s buses under current conditions.
Cody Shamrock, a Leonard representative and bus driver, described manufacturer constraints: “It takes about eight hours to upfit a chassis on an electric school bus, whereas a diesel station takes about eight minutes,” he said, noting that dealers currently produce far fewer electrics per day than diesels. Both Mary and board members emphasized funding complexity: most grants are reimbursements, so the district would need to incur upfront costs.
The board discussed options including ordering extra diesel buses now, waiting for technology improvements, and pursuing advocacy for timeline adjustments. A board member said the superintendents’ association is pushing to delay timelines to give rural districts more time to adapt.
Next steps: Mary said the site study portion of the Wendell/NYSERDA work is expected in January and the district will meet with the consultants once that analysis is complete.
