MACON, Ga. — Blue Bird Corp. in Fort Valley has been awarded $4.4 million to develop a zero-emission, vehicle-to-grid electric school bus.
Blue Bird was awarded the largest part of $15 million that the Department of Energy announced it would give to organizations “in an effort to accelerate the adoption of advanced and alternative fuel vehicles,” according to a release.
The vehicle-to-grid (also known as V2G) technology enables the flow of power in and out of an electric system or grid and electric-drive vehicles.
“As the leader in alternative fuel bus solutions, the addition of an electric school bus rounds out our portfolio,” Bluebird President/CEO Phil Horlock said in the statement. “Thanks to this award from the Department of Energy, we will be able to pursue the development of this technology based on our many years of research.”
One of the award’s stipulations is that the bus will be an affordable, low-cost electric bus vehicle. Blue Bird also is looking to implement V2G technology that will allow the bus to put electricity back into the grid, which could help bring funds to school districts.
“This initiative will provide resources to explore alternative fuels for school transportation while sending energy back to the grid,” Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said in the release. “The development of a low-cost electric school bus is an investment that could save state resources in the long term.”
This is not the first time Blue Bird has built an electric school bus. The company was the first to market it in 1994, Dennis Whitaker, vice president of product development, said.
“Since then, we have been closely monitoring this technology, and have found that recent battery management advances have made this project viable,” Whitaker said. “We should see our first new Blue Bird electric school bus in 2019.”
