IC Bus Prioritizes Safety Tech, Announces 100 Electric School Bus Orders

After receiving feedback from customers and analyzing the future of the school bus industry, IC Bus is reinforcing its commitment to safety, technology, and electrification through its CE Series school bus.

“We are investing in our flagship CE Series to continue providing customers with the safest, cleanest, and most technologically advanced buses into the future,” said Trish Reed, vice president and general manager for IC Bus, in a news release from Navistar, the school bus manufacturer’s parent company.

IC Bus has reportedly spent the last few years preparing its CE Series for electrification. Already available in diesel, propane, and gasoline, the electric CE Series was launched late last year. Today, IC Bus has announced more than 100 orders for the electric CE Series, which will be constructed at Navistar’s IC Bus manufacturing facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, according to the company.

“When it comes to electric buses, we’re focused on helping customers electrify their fleet the right way,” Reed said. “Different customers have different needs, and we believe a collaborative approach is the best way to determine which fuel choice is best for a customer. From there, we can support customers in successfully implementing that choice into a fleet. This approach has been extremely effective thus far and we’re looking forward to working with other customers as interest in electric grows.”

While electrification is important, safety technology also remains at the forefront of priorities for IC Bus. According to Navistar, the school bus manufacturer will focus on supporting its CE Series product with new technologies that are designed to protect pedestrians around the vehicle, automate various functions, and bring advanced collision mitigation systems to the school bus.

This focus on the CE Series will also accelerate the rate at which connected technologies are integrated into the school bus. For example, Navistar announced that IC Bus plans to bring the same fleet health monitoring systems from Navistar’s International truck brand to its buses to help support the needs of transportation directors.

Further enhancements to the CE Series, according to Navistar, include expanding the capabilities of the Type C CE Series to serve the needs of customers that traditionally use other bus types through changes such as increased passenger capacity. Additionally, with all future investments directed at the CE Series, Navistar said that IC Bus will phase out its RE Series with the upcoming 2024 greenhouse gas emissions standards.