N.Y. Contractor to Convert 5 Diesel School Buses to Electric

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — A New York City school bus company is working with an electric vehicle charging solutions provider to convert a handful of its school buses from diesel to electric.

Amply Power, which pioneers methods to accelerate electric fleet adoption, will demonstrate and document its charging-as-a-service approach for an all-electric school bus fleet in New York City, according to a news release from Amply Power. Logan Bus Co., which reported having 2,550 school buses in its fleet in School Bus Fleet’s Top 40 Contractor Fleets of 2019 list, is providing five electric school buses for the demonstration.

Amply Power will provide charging to Logan Bus Co. and Affiliates at its depot in Brooklyn. As the electric utility account holder for its fleet customers, Amply Power provides services that include managing infrastructure upgrades and utility interconnections; establishing an optimal charging strategy based on drive cycle and duty cycle; providing debt financing or securing grant funding for reducing capital expenditures; and implementing resiliency plans where needed.

Amply also said in the news release that it assumes the full financial responsibility of utility bills and provides the fleet with pre-negotiated flat usage rates. The charging solutions provider will also perform onsite operations and maintenance services and invest in technology upgrades.

Additionally, Black and Veatch will contribute its experience in sustainable projects, and Unique Technical Solutions will oversee routing, analysis, and logistics.

The project is being funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

“Taking the technical guesswork out of going electric is a critical step towards mainstream electric fleet adoption, which is why we took the time to develop a service model to make electrification for fleet managers and owners as simple as possible,” said Vic Shao, CEO of Amply Power. “We are excited to have this opportunity to demonstrate the depth of our service and illustrate how our price-per-mile-driven billing structure can accelerate fleet adoption nationwide.”

“Gov. Cuomo’s State of the State address [on Jan. 8] reaffirmed his commitment to electrifying New York’s transportation sector, especially bus fleets,” said Alicia Barton, president and CEO of NYSERDA. “Amply Power is creating a model that can be replicated by other bus operators to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and provide cleaner, more efficient transportation for the benefit of riders and communities across the state.”

Once the conversion is completed, the school bus company will determine bus routes. Logan plans to have its electric school buses hit the road as part of the charging-as-a-service model demonstration in September 2020, Corey Muirhead, executive vice president of Logan Bus and Affiliates, told SBF. (Mayor Bill de Blasio also announced this news in his State of the City address on Feb. 6, Muirhead added.)

“Logan Bus is excited to be the first company in the New York City school bus industry to introduce an all-electric vehicle,” Muirhead said. “We have heard loud and clear the governor, mayor, city council, and parent body, who have advocated for electric vehicles.”

Amply and its partners will also create a final report on how this model can be applied to accelerate fleet electrification throughout not only New York but the entire U.S.

Collecting this data from the demonstration is essential to showing key stakeholders that electric conversions are “economically feasible and currently a more cost-efficient way to reduce our carbon footprint,” Muirhead added.