IC Bus Takes Electric School Bus on the Road

SAN DIEGO — IC Bus has kicked off a national tour with its concept electric school bus, the ChargE.

The first stop on the tour, previously reported in a recent interview with IC Bus officials, is the California Association of School Transportation Officials conference in San Diego on Saturday.

IC Bus revealed more details of the tour in a press release on Friday. The ChargE is slated to visit more than 10 locations throughout the West Coast on this first leg of the tour. That will include stops in and around Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Seattle.

"We're excited to showcase our electric school bus with industry stakeholders on the West Coast and throughout the country," Trish Reed, vice president and general manager of IC Bus, said in the press release. "In addition to providing our customers with an electric school bus vehicle, we're focused on giving them a total electric transportation solution."

The national tour will include scheduled stops at trade shows, school visits, and local government events throughout the country.

IC Bus unveiled the ChargE electric school bus at the National Association for Pupil Transportation trade show in November. The vehicle, expected to launch in late 2019 or early 2020, was developed as part of the alliance between IC Bus parent company Navistar and Volkswagen Truck & Bus.

The ChargE concept electric school bus incorporates a common group electric drivetrain from Volkswagen Truck & Bus. IC Bus said that the drivetrain is quiet, does not produce any emissions, and can be built to address any school bus customer's specific requirements.

The range of the ChargE can exceed 120 miles, according to IC Bus, while the powertrain can deliver up to 260 kW (about 349 peak horsepower). The electric bus also includes camera technology, connected systems, and remote diagnostics.

For more information, go to www.icbus.com/electricbustour.