Beaverton Electric School Bus Fleet Will Grow Thanks To PGE Grant

BEAVERTON, OR —Six area school districts are getting grants to help them buy electric school buses.

Beaverton, Hillsboro, Portland, Gresham-Barlow, Centennial, and Salem-Keizer were also chosen by PGE to receive the grants from the company's Electric School Bus Fund.

The grants provides districts with enough additional money to get an electric bus instead of a traditional gasoline powered one. The grant also provides funding to help the districts install chargng stations. PGE will also provide training for district personnel.

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"Electrifying transportation is a key driver of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and an important step toward reaching our goal of 100 percent clean energy for all Oregonians," said president and CEO of Portland General Electric Maria Pope.

"Seeing kids of all ages, our future, traveling to and from school in electric buses is a moment of pride for all of us at PGE, and we are excited to partner with school districts across the state."

The new bus will be the third for the Beaverton School District. They were able to buy two with a grant from PGE last year, the first year of the program.

"We so appreciate the financial support of PGE as we continue to transition our fleet to electric buses," says district spokesperson Shellie Bailey-Shah. "Currently, 80% of our 300 school buses are powered by diesel engines, and each engine has over 2,000 moving parts.

"Electric bus engines have only ten moving parts and cut about 52,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air every year. Over the coming years, we'll benefit from lower emissions and lower maintenance costs."

PGE says there are several benefits to the electric buses:

Cleaner air
• Electric school buses reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than half compared to a diesel school bus
• Electric school buses have zero tailpipe emissions and reduce carbon monoxide emissions and nitrogen oxide emissions—which have significant negative health impacts, including asthma—by more than 80% than a diesel school bus

Safety and comfort
• Electric school buses are quiet, reducing noise pollution in neighborhoods
• Drivers and students are better able to communicate with each other

Lower cost

• Electricity is less expensive than diesel, and prices are more stable over time
• Electric school buses have far fewer moving parts and are expected to reduce maintenance costs by as much as 50%