Alexandria City Public Schools add new electric buses to school fleet

Alexandria’s bus service DASH isn’t alone in starting its electric conversion; yesterday Alexandria City Public Schools celebrated the addition of five new electric buses to the school system’s bus fleet.

At an event yesterday, ACPS and Dominion Energy leadership celebrated the launch of the new buses.

“In a unique public-private partnership, the Dominion Energy program provided the batteries and charging stations needed to operate the five buses that ACPS purchased for the same price as diesel models,” ACPS said in a press release. “The electric school buses are part of ACPS’ commitment to sustainability and hybrid vehicles. The new buses operate entirely by electrical power, help store electricity and stabilize the power grid while creating a quieter ride for students.”

https://twitter.com/tchrnme29824/status/1460791509201137667

The schools’ shift toward electricity comes as the citywide bus service DASH also is moving toward having a full-electric fleet, though DASH leadership said the buses have encountered some issues with heating and hills.

Like DASH, though, ACPS said the electric buses come with an economic benefit to the city — costing 60% less to maintain and operate compared to diesel buses.

The ACPS event was also one of the increasingly few celebrations where Dominion was welcomed with open arms in Alexandria. The energy company has been in hot water with the City of Alexandria after a series of catastrophic power failures one year after Dominion representatives told city leadership that earlier power failures weren’t emblematic of larger problems.

Photo via Abdel Elnoubi/Twitter