Electric school buses are rolling out across the United States as school districts look to keep their students and the communities they work in safe and free of harmful emissions. In a significant milestone, Thomas Built Buses announced Wednesday that it had delivered 200 Proterra-powered electric school buses, with the latest going to Monroe County, Indiana.
What makes Proterra-powered electric school buses special
Thomas Built Buses, a leading school bus manufacturer with over 100 years of experience, teamed up with Proterra, a commercial EV tech manufacturer, to introduce the next generation of electric school buses.
Each Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley electric school bus comes equipped with 226 kWh of energy through a Proterra-powered battery system and drivetrain. The Proterra H Series battery pack uses a liquid cooling system for commercial use. Moreover, the software ensures maximum charging and performance efficiency.
The Proterra-powered electric buses can seat up to 81 while delivering up to 138 miles in range. These EV buses are lightyears ahead of the traditional yellow buses we are used to. They have over-the-air software updates and vehicle-to-grid charging capabilities.
For example, in August, Electrek reported two Jouley electric buses gave seven MWh back to the grid. Combined with the three MWh previously generated, it was enough to power around 600 homes for a day.
More recently, in September, Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner electric buses 19 Comments driven in Virginia, avoiding 447.7 short tons of greenhouse gases, according to the AFLEET tool.
Today, Thomas Built Buses achieved another major milestone by delivering its 200th Jouley electric school bus loaded with Proterra technology. Indiana’s Monroe County Public School District is celebrating as it helped play a role in getting there.
Indiana welcomes new zero-emission EV buses
In addition, Monroe County is the first county in Indiana state to receive a Jouley electric bus in the fall of 2022. Moreover, Monroe County helped Thomas Built Buses also achieve the 200-bus milestone. Especially as it received its sixth delivery of 13 zero-emission buses.