The initial deployment is one of the first in the Colorado Springs region, according to the school district
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (April 26, 2024) – At a ribbon cutting ceremony this morning, InCharge Energy, the leader in school district and commercial fleet electrification solutions, today announced the deployment of new charging infrastructure to support Big Sandy School District’s first three electric school buses. The three Navistar IC buses – charged daily by two InCharge Energy ICE-120 charging stations and managed on the InControl charge management software (CMS) – are planned to transport 60 students to and from school every day beginning this fall.
“Our first school bus electrification project has been incredibly seamless with the help of InCharge Energy,” said Steve Wilson, Big Sandy Superintendent. “We are thrilled to be giving our students and bus drivers a healthier alternative to diesel school buses.”
Funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) enabled Big Sandy’s electric bus deployment. This initial three-bus program will utilize two ICE-120kW DC fast chargers from InCharge Energy’s line of industry-leading EV charging hardware, which will be networked to the company’s innovative InControl™ CMS platform. With this platform, district personnel will have access to powerful tools to keep charging-related energy costs low and simplify charging operations.
“We’re excited to partner with Big Sandy Schools on its first step toward an electrified transportation system for its current and future students,” said Tony Lumino, senior account executive at InCharge Energy. “With this school bus fleet transition, we hope other Colorado school districts see the positive impacts for students, drivers, and the larger community – and are encouraged to start the process to electrify their own bus fleets. There are plenty of resources to help school districts begin this journey and save money – and peace of mind – from the outset, particularly when choosing a vertically integrated partner such as InCharge to design, implement, and support the entire charging solution.”
With diesel school bus emissions tied to higher rates of asthma, cancer, and school absenteeism, electric buses feature zero tailpipe emissions and reduced greenhouse gas emissions as well as lower noise levels when compared to their diesel counterparts. Electric school buses also offer significant operational savings due to greater fuel efficiency and reduced maintenance costs, contributing to a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) when compared to conventionally fueled buses – even before factoring in available funding for electrification.
By replacing three traditional school buses, each responsible for an average 363 tons of greenhouse emissions per fossil-fuel-powered bus over its lifecycle, for a total of 1,089 tons, Big Sandy’s new electric buses will avoid 741 tons of greenhouse emissions over the lifecycle, while reducing nitrous oxide emissions by about 70%.
As part of InCharge’s one stop shop approach, Big Sandy School District personnel can leverage InControl’s powerful charge management capabilities, for easy and optimized bus charging each day. For example, InControl offers a custom depot view – a powerful visualization of buses, chargers, and sessions in real-time – making it fast and easy to confirm that all buses are plugged in and will be fully charged in time for the next day’s route, or to quickly submit a service request ticket. The platform is also capable of auto-extending charging sessions on ICE chargers to keep vehicle batteries warm for longer, for worry-free overnight charging. With robust interoperability testing with school bus manufacturers, InControl smart charging tools have also been verified repeatedly to successfully maximize electric bus driving range during sessions, in preparation for their daily routes – providing peace of mind that students will be transported to and from school, on time.
For more information about InCharge Energy’s end-to-end electric school bus charging solutions serving more than 200 districts across the US and Canada, and options to maximize electrification spend with Charging as a Service financing or grants and incentives support, please visit www.inchargeus.com.
# # #
ABOUT INCHARGE ENERGY
InCharge Energy is simplifying and accelerating commercial fleet electrification in North America. The vertically integrated company’s reliable and scalable turnkey solutions for EV infrastructure equip North America-based businesses, auto manufacturers and dealerships, school districts, and public agencies with everything they need to seamlessly electrify their fleets and optimize daily operations. The company’s wide range of dependable and robustly tested EV charging hardware is complemented by innovative offerings that are unique to InCharge, including open API and scalable InControl™ charge management software, with user-friendly tools to optimize vehicle uptime, mitigate demand charges, and reduce charging-related energy costs while simplifying charging operations. Charging as a Service provides worry-free charging at a predictable, lower monthly cost, and the company’s grants and funding experts help organizations optimize their electrification spend. InCharge’s in-house team of service technicians, strategically located across the continent, provide the company’s customers with the rapid response and issue resolution, plus efficient lighting, and other services.
Headquartered in the world’s first zero-emissions delivery zone in Santa Monica, Calif., and supported by stakeholder ABB E-Mobility, InCharge Energy has locations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Michigan, Virginia, and Quebec, Canada. InCharge was recognized by Fast Company in 2024 as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for Transportation and named Best in Biz Awards 2023 Silver winner in Company of the Year, B2B category. More information about InCharge Energy and its services can be found at www.inchargeus.com. You can also follow InCharge on LinkedIn and Facebook.
