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A Mississippi high school has received the first all-electric, zero-emissions school bus in the state, and more are expected to be on the road in the future.
And it can do more than just take students on field trips and to soccer games.
It can keep food frozen, too.
The Thomas C-2 Jouley all-electric bus was donated to Forrest County Agricultural High School in Brooklyn and replaces a Diesel bus used for off-campus activities such as sporting events and field trips.
“This is an activity bus,” said FCAHS superintendent Donna Boone. “That’s why it’s not yellow.
“Last night it went on its maiden voyage. The soccer teams played Purvis last night. It just beams school pride. Our kids were so proud to get on that bus last night.”
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The bus has a total range of 138 miles on a single charge, which Boone said is more than enough to take students to and from the majority of places they go. It will also be a cost-cutter for the rural, single-school district.
“As you can imagine, with the prices of Diesel and gas going up this year, that has a huge impact on our budget,” Boone said. “I think you’re probably going to see some school districts doing this in the future.”
She said the bus and charger were acquired through a partnership between the school, the Forrest County Agricultural High School Foundation and Mississippi Power. It was received by the school at no cost.
“We are excited for this monumental day for the state of Mississippi,” said Mississippi Power Marketing and Sales Director Giff Ormes in a press release. “Nine Mississippi school districts were recently awarded more than $36 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Working with our partners in education, we’re able to stay at the forefront of adoption as electric school buses become a new norm.”
Electric bus keeps food frozen
Now, about that frozen food.
Brooklyn is located about 50 miles from Mississippi’s coast. So, in addition to the typical severe weather that impacts all of the state, hurricanes can be an issue as well. That can leave the area without power for hours — or days in extreme weather events.
That’s when having a bus that runs on two 113kWh batteries comes in pretty darn handy.
“These batteries can provide electricity for us,” Boone said. “Our freezer in the cafeteria, we can switch the power over and use the bus as a generator for several days.
“You think about a freezer in a cafeteria and how much inventory you would lose. We were thrilled with that possibility with the bus.”
While FCAHS has the first all-electric school bus in Mississippi, it’s not the first all-electric bus in the state. The Coast Transit Authority also acquired a battery-powered bus earlier this year through a partnership with Mississippi Power.
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“It’s a 35-foot, pure-electric bus manufactured by Gillig out of California,” said CTA director Kevin Coggin. “We’ve been running it about five to six months every day.”
On the plus side, Coggin said battery-powered buses require less maintenance than those with internal combustion engines. Also, they can be charged at night when there’s less demand for electricity, so CTA receives a discounted rate for the electricity used in charging.
Coggin said while there’s a savings in fuel cost as well as less maintenance when compared to an internal combustion motor, the price tag of a battery-powered bus is higher, so he’s unsure of what the total cost of operation will look like over the life of the vehicle.
The drawback is current battery technology; it can’t run all day like the fleet of hybrid and dual-fuel buses CTA uses.
“We have some range issues with the battery,” Coggin said. “These batteries have limited range.”
With limited range, it has limited application, but Coggin said he expects improvements in battery performance in the future that will allow CTA to use more of the electric buses.
“They are reliable,” Coggin said. “The drivers love them. The community loves them because they’re zero-emissions. They’re awesome vehicles.”
Contact Brian Broom at bbroom@gannett.com or 601-961-7225.
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