The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 authorizes EPA to offer rebates to replace existing school buses with clean and zero-emission (ZE) models to reduce harmful emissions from older, dirtier buses. EPA announced on September 29, 2022 it would nearly double the funding awarded for clean school buses this year following high demand from school districts across the United States that applied for the 2022 Clean School Bus (CSB) Rebates. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law created a historic $5 billion investment for low- and zero-emission school buses over the next five years.  

EPA anticipates awarding approximately $400 million in competitive grant funding under the Clean School Bus (CSB) Grants Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The program is soliciting applications nationwide for a grant competition to fund the replacement of existing school buses with clean and zero-emission (ZE) school buses. Please note this is a grant opportunity and not a rebate.

All application packages need to be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. (ET) to be considered for funding.

Potential applicants without a Grants.gov account are encouraged to initiate the Grants.gov registration process well ahead of the deadline for funding since the registration process can take a month or more.

For a list of Important Dates and other information please follow this link https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/clean-school-bus-program-grants

We recommend anyone interested in Electric School Bus Funding opportunities to sign up to receive the EPA's newsletter. You can sign up by following this link https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/dgrhRed/cleanschoolbus

EPA received around 2,000 applications requesting nearly $4 billion for over 12,000 buses. The applicant pool includes submissions from all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and federally recognized Tribes. The 2022 rebate program will fund approximately 2,500 school bus replacements.

The interactive map and table linked below highlights rebate awards by school district for the 2022 rebates. Be advised, these are maximum funding amounts. The amount of funding that will be disbursed after a school district submits their Payment Request Form may be lower than these maximum amounts because the funds to be disbursed are based on actual bus and charging infrastructure costs, as supported by purchase orders.

Note: The information in the map and table provides a snapshot of awards and is updated regularly. This information is not official notification of rebate awards. Applicants are notified of selection via email from cleanschoolbus@epa.gov and must refer to that email notification for their official award details.

https://awsedap.epa.gov/public/extensions/Clean_School_Bus/Clean_School_Bus.html 

School buses are the largest form of public transportation in the United States. Every day, 480,000 of them carry up to half of America’s children to school and back. Currently, fewer than 1% of the nation’s school buses are powered by electricity, but with advances in electric bus technology, growing understanding of the benefits of electrification, and now a fresh influx of federal money through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, electric school buses are becoming an increasingly viable option for some school districts. 

Below is a list of some additional resources available in addition to those availbe from school bus manufacturers:

EPA Clean School Bus Program

Sign Up to Stay in Touch About Clean School Bus Program Funding

KSDE Electric School Bus Inspection Forms

US Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center 

World Resources Institute Electric School Bus Initiative

Evergy Energy Solutions
Julie Dietrich, Electrification Program Manager
816-652-1153
julie.dietrich@evergy.com

Kaitlyn Sampson
Air and Radiation Division
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Region 7
11201 Renner Blvd
Lenexa Kansas 66219
Sampson.Kaitlyn@epa.gov

NTSB Video provides a summary  chronicling the increasing dangers posed by EVs to firefighters and other emergency response personnel regarding Lithium-Ion Battery Fires in Electric Vehicles and the Safety Risks to Emergency Responders

National Fire Protection Association Information and knowledge resource on fire, electrical and related hazards for electric vehicles

Inspecting High-Voltage Electric-Drive Commercial Motor Vehicles FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), in partnership with CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance), has developed a training course on inspecting high-voltage electric drive commercial motor vehicle.