Coal-Electric School Buses Deserve a Second Look
Coal-Electric School Buses Deserve a Second Look
A recent Bloomberg article highlighted the virtues of electric school buses in Montgomery County Public Schools . Claims made by the reporters included statements like “ school buses are perfect for electrification ,” and that “ U . S . school districts are eager to electrify their bus fleets .” This piece deserves a second look as the statements made and conclusions drawn by the reporters fall woefully short of providing an objective picture . To understand the tradeoffs of transitioning to electric school buses , Montgomery County Public School decision makers should look behind the plug .
First , let ’ s agree that eliminating diesel fuel is a good goal . Diesel fuel has a high carbon intensity , and when used , it emits ground level air pollution that isn ’ t healthy for people . Here ’ s a surprise though –– electrification may solve some of that problem , but it doesn ’ t actually address the climate change issues we face today .
Montgomery County is largely serviced by Potomac Electric Power Company . In its 2021 – 2022 Fuel Source Information statement , the utility reported an energy fuel mix of coal ( 21.3 %), natural gas ( 38.7 %), nuclear ( 33 %) and renewable sources ( 6.8 %). This means that 60 % of every volt of electricity used to power electric school buses in Montgomery County is fossil-fuel derived . If you ’ re also anti-nuclear , then you ’ ll be upset that more than 90 % of the electricity the buses would use is from sources other than renewables .
Unfortunately , the electric grid is not as clean as some may think . The average carbon intensity for electricity produced in the U . S . is 137 gCO2eq / MJ . Conventional propane , as a comparator energy , has a carbon intensity of 79 , and renewable propane , made from plants and now coming to market in volume , has a carbon intensity of only 20 . Leaving conventional diesel behind is a good move , and it can happen today . Let ’ s not pretend , however , that electric power is a magic cure-all .
One fact the article did get correct is the cost of a school bus . At $ 375,000 each , buses with charging infrastructure cost three times more than a diesel or propane-powered bus . EPA funding to subsidize the cost doesn ’ t change the calculus , it merely shifts the cost burden to taxpayers nationwide . The cost prohibitive nature of electric school buses means school districts may only be able to convert a portion of their fleets , especially in disadvantaged communities where budgets are often constrained . By choosing propane-powered buses , school districts can replace three times the number of buses , which translates into greater CO2 reductions .
Another fact was rightly stated : The more electric buses a school district has , the more complicated it is to deploy them . Montgomery County Public Schools may be able to pay a partner to tackle this for them , but can other districts ? If not , it ’ s not an equitable solution .
The journalist H . L . Menken once said , “ For every complex problem , there ’ s a solution that is simple , neat , and wrong .” It ’ s not wrong to try and eliminate things like diesel fuel because cleaner , affordable alternatives are available today . At the same time , solving complex problems like climate change will take a combination of efforts and a thousand smart ideas . We ought to avoid being dazzled by fun animations and embrace more objective analysis as we move through the energy transition . l FON
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