You’ve heard it before:

• Choose diesel – With new advancements in clean-diesel school bus engines, diesel fuel is the best long-term fuel solution for most fleets.
• Choose electric – As technology advances at a rapid pace, electric school buses will be the future of pupil transportation.

So which is it? What type of school bus is right for your fleet? Well, both. As the leading school bus manufacturer, Thomas Built Buses is setting the groundwork now so fleets can have the best of both worlds: the best fuel solution for today and for tomorrow.

Today: reliable and durable clean diesel school buses bring ease of maintenance and lower costs

Through innovations like the new Detroit^® DD5^™ and DD8^™ engines, clean-diesel school buses truly are the best solution for most school districts today. These new Detroit engines are easier than ever to maintain, with some of the longest service intervals in their class. Aftertreatment issues are now a thing of the past. Plus, based on EPA-regulated emissions, they are just as clean as, if not cleaner than, alternatively fueled and gasoline engines, and their fuel efficiency is the best in the industry, saving you money on fuel and lowering your total cost of ownership.

School buses equipped with the new Detroit DD5 engine have been running throughout the country for more than a year. And the results of these engines are proving that the future of clean diesel is a bright one. So far, around 80% of these buses routinely experience 0–1 manual regens, compared to old diesel engines which would require multiple regens a week. Plus, many drivers with the new DD5 engines are getting more than an average of nine miles per gallon on the road.

With all of its benefits, it’s easy to see why districts don’t have to switch to an alternative fuel or gasoline to reap the benefits of new/clean school bus technology. Without the extra costs of additional training and fueling infrastructure, clean-diesel is the best fuel type for most districts today and will continue to be well into the future, until a fleet is ready for the next level: electric.

Tomorrow: pollution-free power and performance with electric school buses

Thomas Built Buses has partnered with Daimler, Daimler Trucks North America and Proterra^® to create the best electric school bus in the industry. Based on the industry’s most popular school bus, the Saf-T-Liner^® C2, Thomas Built’s new electric school bus (dubbed Jouley®) delivers the power and performance you would expect from any school bus, along with zero emissions from the tailpipe and no noise pollution.

Thomas Built Buses’ all-electric Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley electric school bus is equipped with the same vehicle quality, durability, performance, safety and comfort as the popular Saf-T-Liner C2. Jouley is powered by Proterra electric vehicle technology and is configured with 226 kWh of total energy capacity, a two-speed transmission and an estimated operating range of up to 138 miles. Through DC fast-charging architecture as standard equipment, Jouley can charge in about three hours and can supply power back to the power grid using vehicle to grid (V2G) technology.

School districts and utility providers alike are testing out these new buses in their fleets to begin to reap the benefits of cleaner emissions, lower operating costs and energy storage capabilities. The benefits of electric school buses look promising today and are expected to become even better in the future.

Ready to get started? Contact Thomas Built Buses’ Electric Bus Authority team to see if electric school buses are feasible for your fleet.