California to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses

The money comes from the Zero-Emissions School Bus and Infrastructure (ZESBI) programme and is in addition to the $1.3 billion in funds already made available. School districts across the state can apply for funding until 30 September. In order to be eligible for funding, they must replace an old combustion engine school bus from 2010 or older.

Eligible applicants receive up to $375,000 to replace an old school bus, as well as $95,000 per school bus to set up corresponding charging infrastructure. However, according to the ‘ZESBI Infrastructure Incentive Fact Sheet,’ that only applies for fast-chargers capable of bi-directional charging. Schools will receive up to 20,000 dollars per ZESBI-funded bus for an AC charger and up to 75,000 dollars for a DC charger.

According to the current press release, the $1.3 billion in incentives already awarded to school districts have “funded more than 2,300 zero-emission school buses, of which 1,100 are already in use.” California requires all new school buses purchased after 2035 to be zero-emission. State Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill to that effect in October 2023. At the time, the US state reported about 23,800 school buses on the road in California.

“California is showing the nation and the world how to move from ambition to action,” said Newsom bout the additional funding. “This is yet another record state investment that puts the health of our kids and communities first – replacing 1,000 older polluting school buses with clean buses.”

arb.ca.gov (press release), californiahvip.org (ZESBI overview, PDF), californiahvip.org (charging infrastructure; PDF)