PGE awards six cleaner, quieter electric school buses to area school districts

PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland General Electric announced five recipients of the 2022 Electric School Bus Fund, paving the way for six additional electric school buses to be on the road serving Oregon students in the years to come.

Using funding from the Oregon Clean Fuels Program , the Beaverton, Gresham-Barlow, Portland, Salem-Keizer and Tigard-Tualatin school districts were chosen based on their commitments to meet the needs of underserved communities and incorporate the buses more broadly into student education around climate science.

“Electrifying transportation is a key driver of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and an important step toward reaching our goal of 100 percent clean energy for all Oregonians,” said Maria Pope, president and CEO of Portland General Electric. “Transitioning to all-electric school buses ensures that children and communities benefit. We are pleased to partner with school districts across the state.”

This is the third year of electric school bus competitive grant awards. In 2020, PGE funded the first five electric school buses in Oregon and last year, PGE awarded grants for seven school buses.

The Electric School Bus Fund covers the incremental cost of electric school buses (the difference in cost between a standard diesel bus and an electric bus) and can provide up to $50,000 towards the installation of charging infrastructure. PGE also provides technical assistance to school districts throughout the process, including site assessments, cost-benefit analysis, vehicle and charger selection support and driver and mechanic support. In return, participating school districts will work with PGE to share their insights and learnings with other school districts interested in electrifying their bus fleets.

For the third year, PGE is working in partnership with Pacific Power to support the Portland Public Schools’ electric school bus and related infrastructure.

Transportation is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon and a major source of other air pollutants. Benefits of electric school buses include:

Cleaner air

• Electric school buses reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than half compared to diesel school buses

• Electric school buses have zero tailpipe emissions and reduce carbon monoxide emissions and nitrogen oxide emissions—which have significant negative health impacts, including asthma—by more than 80% than diesel school buses

Safety and comfort

• Electric school buses are quiet, reducing noise pollution in neighborhoods

• Drivers and students are better able to communicate with each other

Lower cost

• Electricity is less expensive than diesel, and prices are more stable over time

• Electric school buses have far fewer moving parts and are expected to reduce maintenance costs by as much as 50%