A Snowy Colorado Mountain Town’s Electric School Bus Experience

A case study on the operation of electric school buses was completed for West Grand School District, a small rural school system about 100 miles northwest of Denver, Colorado. Located in a valley of the Rocky Mountains, the school transportation system experiences roadways ranging from paved and flat to gravel and steep. When the district was awarded grants to cover the cost of the bus and infrastructure needs, they purchased a Blue Bird Type-D All-American electric bus in March 2020. The bus features Accelera by Cummins PowerDrive 7000 system, which delivers high-efficiency and unmatched power with module and flexible architecture, maintains existing mounting locations for easy OEM integration, delivers instant torque response, and has a lower total cost of ownership. A level 2 charger was installed to support the daily commute of roughly 98 miles.

“West Grand School District’s positive experience with their Cumminspowered electric Blue Bird school bus, includes superior performance in sub-zero temperatures, cost savings, range, and community benefits. Temperatures in November and December 2022 averaged between –33 and –18 degrees Fahrenheit. Throughout those two months, the temperature only rose above freezing five afternoons, but remained below 40. Despite these harsh conditions, cabin heat on the bus remained responsive, reliable, and comfortable.”

Read the case study summary