The school bus industry is a traditional industry. To be honest, manufacturers in our industry don’t always get the cutting-edge technologies first. We usually get the best technologies handed down from the auto and commercial transportation markets. But every once in a while, we get to be on the cutting edge and to pave the way for revolutionary future technologies in transportation.

With the introduction of electric school bus, we are suddenly in the spotlight. All eyes are on our industry to see if EV technologies are feasible and to see how well they work for districts across the nation. As we work to further develop and produce our Saf-T-Liner eC2 electric school bus, we are motivated by this anticipation and the limitless possibilities.

But it isn’t just about the new and shiny. The school bus industry has been traditionally fueled by diesel. And today, and on into the future, that won’t change. We are now paving the way for a revolutionary new era in clean-diesel school bus transportation that provides greater fuel efficiency, lower maintenance, lower operating costs and greater reliability to districts and contractors. Aftertreatment headaches and fuel cost concerns are now a thing of the past.

Our new engines, the Detroit DD5 and DD8 were built from the ground up for this industry and offer immense opportunity for this market. It’s not just talk and specs ‒ these engines are providing exceptional fuel efficiency and offer a reliable aftertreatment system. Coupled with Detroit™ Connect Virtual Technician℠ remote diagnostics service, these engines now provide a level of support no other engine in the industry can match. It’s an exciting time, for sure, and I cannot wait to hear more success stories as districts adopt the DD5 and DD8 and our eC2 which goes into full production later this year.