This fall, some of California’s children will ride to school in electric style. The California Highway Patrol has approved the use of the an entirely electric school bus. This all-electric Blue Bird school bus was developed through a partnership between the Gilroy Unified School District and Adomani, and the result is a solar-fueled, 50-passenger, type-D, electric school bus.
Image Credit: Adomani
Verbal approval for the bus came only one day after first inspection. Domestic Fuel shares that Adomani board member and school bus industry expert Jim Reynolds said: “That is by far the fastest I have seen approval come in. I was anticipating a few months of processing.” The converted school bus will premiere this fall.
The transformational process started when Gilroy Unified School District provided Adomani with a 2007 Blue Bird All American diesel school bus. Thanks to ADOMANI’s patented electric conversion kit, ADOMANI returned this plug-in electric to the school district equipped to meet the district’s 22-mile route. With a range of 40 miles in between charge, Adomani can provide a school or commercial bus with sufficient battery power to travel 100 miles.
This positive experience with Adomani’s second converted Blue Bird school bus inspired a move. Domestic Fuel’s article explains Adomani’s move: “After the conversion for Gilroy, moving to California seemed like the right fit, though we plan to retrofit vehicles throughout the country,” said Edward Monfort, the founder and CTO of Adomani. “I am thrilled to be working with school buses and to have an opportunity to enter a market that can improve lives and the environment.”
The buses are completed in only a few weeks. Ninety percent of the OEM parts are retained; thus, mechanics are familiar: the transmission, compressor, radiator, alternator, etc. Check out videos from Adomani of its all-electric school bus or other vehicles.
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