New electric school buses may be in store for one Northeastern state. The Maryland Energy Administration recently announced significant new investments in electric school buses and charging infrastructure statewide.

The investment would enable seven total school districts and private fleet operators to cut their long-term operations and maintenance costs while reducing students’ exposure to diesel emissions. 

The agency reported more than $12 million in total grant funding through the Fiscal Year 2025 Electric School Bus Grant Program, including grants to bring the first electric vehicles to the Kent County fleet and to begin to electrify some of the most widely used buses that take kids on field trips across the state. 

“From rural counties planning their first zero-emission school buses to large districts scaling up ambitious electric fleets, this year’s grants include the purchase of vehicles, infrastructure installation, feasibility studies, and technician training — each of which are important parts of the move toward cleaner transportation,” said Maryland Energy Administration Director Paul G. Pinsky. “The key takeaway is that this program will make improvements in school districts’ operating budgets and in the health of our schoolkids.”

Grants Fund 53 Electric Buses, Planning, and Charger Deployment

Projects funded by the grants include direct bus purchases and leases, critical behind-the-scenes investments in long-term planning, site readiness, and work development. This funding will support the purchase of 53 electric school buses, three electric vehicle (EV) fleet transition and management plans, and 40 EV chargers.

According to a state release, several projects directly serve low-income and historically underserved communities, with 60% of students on free/reduced lunch, rural counties, and economically diverse counties, reinforcing the agency’s commitment to equity.  

Fiscal Year 2025 Electric School Bus Grant Awardees:

• Baltimore County Public Schools (through Highland Electric Fleets, Inc.) – $3 million to expand an already growing fleet.

• Chesapeake Charters (through Highland Electric Fleets, Inc.) – around $2.1 million to initiate fleet electrification.

• Howard County Public Schools (through Zum Services, Inc.) – $1.75 million to meet the county’s diverse needs.

• Kent County Public Schools (through Highland Electric Fleets, Inc.) – around $850,000 to deploy the first EVs in the county fleet.

• Board of Education of Frederick County – $1.8 million to expand an existing fleet and collaborate with Potomac Edison.

• Prince George’s County Public Schools – around $2.5 million to grow the electric school bus and charger network.

• Washington County Board of Education – $100,000 to explore the feasibility of deploying electric school buses and EV charging.

The total projected lifetime greenhouse gas reduction impact from these grants is more than 9,300 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, comparable to taking over 2,000 passenger cars off the road.