HIGH POINT, N.C. — Thomas Built Buses’ electric school bus recently received certification and eligibility for grant funding from two California agencies.

The  Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley electric bus, powered by Proterra, was granted full certification from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), according to a news release from the school bus manufacturer.

“With these certifications, we are one step closer to making electric school buses viable for the school bus market,” said Caley Edgerly, president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses. “While this milestone is worth celebrating, we continue to work with proven leaders in the industry, like Proterra and our parent company Daimler Trucks North America, to create the best product possible for the school bus market.”

Edgerly added that over the past few months, Thomas Built Buses has been piloting Jouley with individual drivers, school districts, and local agencies.

Jouley, which has up to 220 kilowatt-hour (kWh) of total energy capacity, can charge in about three hours with the Proterra DC charging system and can travel up to 120 miles depending on its operating conditions, according to the school bus OEM.

“School buses are a great application for battery-electric vehicle technology and we’re excited to bring our industry-leading battery systems to the most popular Thomas Built Buses vehicle,” said Ryan Popple, CEO of Proterra. “In addition to greater efficiency and lower operating costs, electric school buses have zero tailpipe emissions, which eliminates exhaust emissions and benefits our communities and our children.”

The Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley will be assembled at Thomas Built Buses’ zero-waste-to-landfill facility in High Point, N.C. Production for demonstration and innovation vehicles will begin this year and commercial production is expected to begin in 2020, according to the manufacturer.

In addition to receiving full certifications, Thomas Built Buses has secured grant funding for Jouley from the California Energy Commission (CEC).

Through the CEC's school bus replacement grant program, California districts wishing to purchase the electric school bus will be eligible for reimbursement of disposed older school buses approved under the program, according to a news release from Thomas Built Buses.

BusWest, the local Thomas Built Buses dealership in California, will assist customers in purchasing Jouley with CEC funds. Part of the Velocity Vehicle Group, BusWest is known for its sales and support throughout the state of California, offering support to customers prior to, during, and following the purchase of an electric school bus.

For more information on how to secure CEC grant funding for Thomas Built Buses’ Saf-T-Liner Jouley electric school bus, go here.