Learning Pains of Using Electric School Buses in Alaska
By Jessica Schultz Pleasant Alaska deployed its first electric school bus in October 2020. It was a collaborative effort between a town in eastern Alaska, Tok in the Tanana Valley, and the Alaska Energy Authority program to provide a $400,000 priced school bus to the local children. When the vehicle is not operating it is charged in a “bus barn”. Solar panels and the local utility company are presently the suppliers of energy to the bus barn. Source: Alaska Public, Alaska Gateway School District According to I nteresting Engineering , the co-owner of Tok Transportation, Gerald “Stretch” Blackard praised the buses performance saying, “ it has definitely lived up to expectations. ” Thomas Built Buses advertises the electric school bus being capable of traveling 138 miles (222 km) per charge. Electric batteries do not perform well in cold weather. Electric buses used in Alaska not only work harder on Alaskan snow-covered roads, but also the bus must maintain an inner cabin temperature. Th...