New WRI Electric School Bus Program Gets U.S. DOE Funding Boost

A project team that includes the World Resources Institute's (WRI) Electric School Bus (ESB) Initiative was awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to advance transportation electrification and move the sector closer to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

The $1 million is part of $32.5 million in DOE funding geared toward advancing transportation electrification and curbing emissions.

Helping Districts Achieve Emissions Goals

The WRI project is called 'Outreach, Education and Training on Equitable Electric School Bus Adoption: Clean Cities Coalition Electric School Bus Academies'.

It will use a 'train-the-trainer' approach to increase school districts’ capacity to adopt electric school buses, particularly in disadvantaged communities facing the greatest inequities based on income, race, pollution, and tribal status. 

“Electric school buses...create a new normal for an entire generation by introducing children to electric vehicles at an early age,” WRI Electric School Bus Initiative Director Sue Gander said. “It’s no surprise that school districts throughout the U.S. are interested in electric school buses. As they make the switch, districts often need guidance to navigate the process, especially underserved districts with less staff capacity. We are thrilled about the opportunity to collaborate with an impressive group of partners to build support for helping bring clean-running, electric school buses to the communities that need them most.”  

Together with experts from the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition and Equitable Cities, WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative will host two capacity-building 'Academies', each with ten participating Clean Cities & Communities (CC&C) coalitions.

These coalitions will serve as key partners for this effort given their long-standing role in supporting the transition to cleaner transportation and their connections with partners on the ground.

Each Academy will provide participants with a three-day training that will feature education, resources, and peer learning on assisting school districts in creating a school bus electrification roadmap that incorporates equity strategies, engaging key stakeholders, creating an infrastructure charging plan, and deploying chargers.

Each Academy will also create a peer network for providing support and accountability as participating CC&C coalitions from across the US return home and host local workshops for school districts within their jurisdiction.

In total, the 20 participating coalitions are expected to subsequently provide workshops and technical assistance to at least 60 to 100 school districts, plus others who request future support.