Photo credit: California HVIPVICTORVILLE – The California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced April 23, that the state is awarding $500 million to 133 educational agencies – including Victor Valley Union High School District, to purchase zero-emission school buses and chargers.
The school district will replace six internal combustion engine school buses with zero-emission vehicles.
CARB Chair Liane Randolph said the majority of the grants will go to communities disproportionately hurt by air pollution.
All new school bus purchases must be zero-emission vehicles by 2045
The project aligns with California’s goal of achieving 100% zero-emission vehicle sales statewide.
In California, school districts must transition to zero-emission technology for all new school bus purchases by 2035. Rural frontier educational agencies have until 2045.
Grant recipients will receive up to $375,000 to replace internal combustion school buses with zero-emission models, plus up to $95,000 per bus for charging infrastructure.
Awardees must scrap an old internal combustion engine school bus for each new school bus they purchase.
New buses will reduce 18,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually
CARB said the school buses in this round of grants are expected to reduce 18,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. It says this is the equivalent to taking more than 4,000 cars off the road for a year.
The grants are scheduled to be finalized by the end of the year.
For more information about the Zero-Emission School Bus and Infrastructure (ZESBI) project visit https://californiahvip.org/zesbi/
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