15 New Electric Buses On Way to Walla Walla School District

Thanks to grants from the EPA and Department of Ecology totaling $4.7 million, Walla Walla School District (WWD) is receiving 15 new electric buses.

   Buses will be used to replace aging models

According to the WWSD, these buses will be used to replace 15 "outdated" diesel units. Information from WWSD also indicated:

"The district placed the order for the 15 electric buses this week, including six equipped with wheelchair lifts. The district will also be finalizing its infrastructure plan in the coming weeks and installing charging stations for the buses this fall. The new electric buses are expected to start arriving next spring bringing the district’s fleet total to 18 electric buses."

 It was just over a year ago when the District put its first all-electric bus into service. at that time, WWSD said it would begin service operating on local routes. At that time, the reported range of that model was about 300 miles.

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According to previous US Department of Energy a typical diesel school bus with an 80-gallon tank gets about six miles per gallon (a typical average) and has a range of about 480 miles.  Some newer clean diesel models can get up to 500 miles.

Weather and cold can affect the range of electric vehicles, including buses. The WWSD did not yet say which routes these new buses will be assigned to.