With nearly a half million school buses today, Blink is working with school districts around the nation to support the drive toward electric school bus fleets
Miami Beach, FL (July 27, 2021) – Blink Charging Co. (Nasdaq: BLNK, BLNKW) (“Blink” or the “Company”), a leading owner, operator, and provider of electric vehicle (“EV”) charging equipment and services, announced today the continued deployment of Blink EV chargers for electric school bus fleets. Blink has already sold or deployed nearly 400 Level 2 chargers in 14 states at educational facilities.
With the recent passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Biden administration committed $5 billion. That’s to the production of environmentally cleaner school buses. Half of these funds have been earmarked specifically for electric school buses.
“At a time when fuel diesel prices are at an all-time high. We are seeing a global shift towards electric vehicles. It only makes sense, both economically and environmentally, that our nations school bus fleets follow suit,” stated Michael Farkas founder and CEO at Blink. “The move toward increasing the number of electric school buses would significantly impact the environment for the better and provide relief to districts and fleets during a time of economic uncertainty. We are pleased to see the Biden administration taking such bold action on cleaner transportation for schools with the passing of the IIJA that will get more electric school buses on the roads.”
More Support to Electrify School Bus Fleets
Additionally, the EPA will also award school districts $500 million through their Clean School Bus (CBS) rebates. This increase in funding will naturally lead to a greater demand for electric vehicle charging equipment to power their buses. Under IIJA, electric school bus chargers are an eligible expense. This is in addition to the $7.5 billion that the IIJA set aside for electric vehicle infrastructure along U.S. interstates. Time is of the essence for communities to access the EPA funds. The application window is open for the 2022 CSB rebates. The review of applications is starting in September 2022.
Of the 480,000 school buses currently in operation in the United States, only 1,800 are electric buses, creating a great demand and opportunity for school bus fleets to move towards electric. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), school buses collectively travel over three billion miles yearly. They transport more than 25 million American children daily.
“There is no doubt about the environmental and economic benefits in moving towards an all-electric school bus fleet. We are seeing much growth across the country in electric bus adoption. That’s as districts and fleet operators see results in reduced maintenance costs, improved rider comfort, and limiting overall environmental footprints,” said John Hipchen, Executive Director, Electric School Bus Coalition.
Blink will be holding an informative webinar today with Southern California Edison, the Electric School Bus Coalition, and Fontana Unified School District to discuss the process and potential rebates available for school districts looking to electrify their fleets. For information on the webinar, click here.
