Step 5.3: Update Your Roadmap and Scale

Overview

Moving beyond an initial deployment, you should use the findings from monitoring performance and benefits to consider how to efficiently, equitably and cost-effectively scale your fleet. You should update your roadmap and equity strategies based on lessons learned from your initial deployment and feedback from key stakeholders.

As you begin to put electric school buses on routes that run more miles, you should consider whether your charging needs will shift—for example, you may find an increased need for High-Power DC fast chargers and the associated 3-Phase power requirements. Your electricity demands will grow and can impact your savings if your fleet is not managing your charging well. Infrastructure costs can vary significantly between locations so assessing your facilities early will help you budget correctly and plan for pursuing grants or other funding sources.

Lastly, if your district is looking to scale rapidly and is interested in shifting some of the upfront costs and risks associated, you can explore alternative business models currently available in a range of service offerings. For example, you could explore opportunities to monetize idle bus battery capacity, such as through participation in a demand response program.

Things to do:

• Update your roadmap and equity strategies
• Prepare a fleet replacement plan to understand how many electric school buses to add each year and include specifications such as buses with accessibility features
• Work with your electric utility on managing peak consumption, grid-friendly siting of bus facilities and avoiding costly demand charges
• Discuss long term plans for charging infrastructure and use modular installation for easy upgrades
• Consider alternative business models and service offerings

Ways to include equity:

• Monitor and evaluate progress toward previously defined equity goals and share results regularly and publicly
• Transparently and authentically respond to feedback and issues that surface during monitoring and evaluation
• Adjust your roadmap and goals if stakeholder needs aren’t being met and invite feedback on evolving needs, like rooftop charging
• If you bring in a consultant or new partner for scaling, ensure they are educated on the roadmap, accessibility priorities, goals and desired community benefits and indicators
• Increase access to other modes of sustainable school transportation, such as safe routes for walking and biking, recognizing that bus electrification is only part of a cleaner, more equitable transit system

Questions to consider:

• Are students, parents, staff and the broader school district community seeing benefits from the project? Are there modifications that can improve outcomes for these groups?
• Are you scaling in ways that include accessibility measures for students with disabilities throughout your fleet?
• Do you have the internal capacity to scale at the pace you want? Do you need to hire engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm for full fleet electrification?
• What funding opportunities are available to scale purchasing and finance infrastructure upgrades?
• Do you have any routes that exceed current battery range?
• Can your facility handle charging the entire fleet?
• Can current staffing levels adequately and efficiently handle maintenance repairs in general and repairs of accessibility features in particular?
• What planning can you do now to prepare for more electric school buses and avoid retrenching and electrical upgrades in the future?
• Is there potential for revenue from idle battery capacity?
• Do you have a plan for how to recycle or retire old diesel-burning school buses?
• Do you have a plan for future workforce needs, such as qualified technicians?
• How can you make it easier for more kids to walk, bus and bike to school? Do you need a larger bus fleet, or can staff support student bikers? 

Potential stakeholders:

• District leadership
• District business and procurement staff
• District transportation director
• District fleet manager
• District facilities manager
• District energy manager
• Electric utility representatives
• Manufacturers/dealers/as-a-service companies
• Bus drivers, maintenance workers and associated union representatives
• Students, parents and other community members consulted at the start of the project
• Organizations with expertise in transportation electrification, such as Clean Cities and Communities Coalitions
• School bus contractor (if applicable)

Resources:

• All About Electric School Bus Business Models - WRI's Electric School Bus Initiative: This article details various arrangements of arrangements of roles, responsibilities and financial obligations in the school transportation market.
• How the US Can Electrify Its Public Fleets, from City Buses to Garbage Trucks - World Resources Institute: This article provides a look at the current state of U.S. fleet electrification, and how fleet operators can start planning for a fully electrified future.
• Webinar: Planning Principles for Full Fleet Electrification - World Resources Institute: This webinar features expert speakers sharing their experiences and insights around fleet electrification.
• Deploying Battery Electric Buses at Scale - NYSERDA: This toolkit provides information and resources to guide decision making from planning through implementation.
• We Need Electric School Buses, And We Need More Students Walking and Biking to School - WRI's Electric School Bus Initiative: This article shares the value of looking at sustainable school transportation outside of electric school buses
• How Electric School Bus Fleet Owners Can Ensure That Their Used Vehicle Batteries Avoid the Landfill – and Reap Economic and Environmental Benefits: WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative: For school districts and other electric school bus fleet owners, gaining value from used vehicle batteries starts during procurement.