CCSD’s first electric school bus hits the road

The Clark County School District (CCSD) unveiled and will soon begin operating the first electric school bus in Nevada. The bus is expected to begin transporting students in the coming weeks.

“CCSD is continuously looking for ways to improve student outcomes inside and outside the classroom,” Superintendent Dr. Jesus F. Jara said. “With the introduction of zero-emission vehicles to our fleet, the District will reduce pollution and improve air quality for generations of students and the community.”

The Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley will serve students at Cimarron-Memorial High School, Edythe and Lloyd Katz Elementary School, and Howard Hollingsworth Elementary School. 

The electric bus was purchased using grant funding from NV Energy and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP). This project aims to replace four more diesel-powered school buses with electric buses in the coming years.

“This first electric school bus represents the next step in our longtime partnership with CCSD to deliver the benefits of clean energy to southern Nevada students and the broader community in which we live and serve,” said Marie Steele, NV Energy Vice President of Integrated Energy Services. “We appreciate the ongoing support of the Nevada legislature, our federal delegation and others to bring more clean, electric transportation options to our schools.”  

CCSD has the largest owned and operated school bus fleet in the nation. The District’s 1,924 buses cover 1,500 routes, transporting 125,000 students daily. The electric buses will save approximately $60 a day in fuel costs per bus, with an expected charging cost of $10.61 per day at current rates. 

The electric school bus will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including nearly one ton of nitrogen oxide, over the lifetime of the replaced bus, helping promote cleaner air and a healthier community for all families in Clark County. 

“Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) grant funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as funds from the Volkswagen Settlement, help to protect Nevada’s citizens, especially our kids, by protecting our air quality through modernizing our school bus fleets and reducing harmful nitrogen oxide emissions,” says NDEP Deputy Administrator Jeff Kinder. “This project not only provides CCSD with the opportunity to acquire the first electric school bus in Nevada but also supports Churchill County School District’s replacement of one of their higher-emission school buses with cleaner technology.”

A second electric bus purchased through a grant from the Clark County Division of Air Quality is currently in the inspection process and is expected to be on the road in the second semester.

As CCSD continues exploring the benefits of electric buses, the District is in the process of purchasing an additional 25 buses and infrastructure utilizing funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program to purchase new electric buses and infrastructure.

To learn more about the Clark County School District, visit ccsd.net.