WWPS: Electric buses, charging stations coming soon
By Dan Thesman on Friday, November 1st, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – Walla Walla Public Schools has announced this week contractors’ broke ground for the installation of 16 new charging stations at the district’s transportation department for 15 new electric buses.
This initiative is made possible by a $3.7 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, WWPS received a $1 million grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology to further support this project.
The new fleet will include 15 electric buses, six of which will be equipped with wheelchair lifts, enhancing accessibility for all students. The first of these buses are expected to arrive by the end of the year, with all deliveries completed by July. Once this project is completed, WWPS will have a total of 18 electric buses on the road.
Columbia Rural Electric Association will be providing the primary power for the new charging stations.
When calculating the cost of fuel versus the cost to charge the electric buses, WWPS is seeing an average savings of around $4,000 a year per electric bus.
Photo via WWPS
