Despite the cold of Winter, electric school buses showed greater resistance to extreme temperatures than diesel-powered ones.
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There was a lot of fuss this winter when some Tesla in Chicago had difficulty charging due to the cold—but that wasn’t the experience for the majority of electric vehicle owners. In Colorado’s West Grant District, electric school buses didn’t perform as well as their diesel counterparts. They better performed.
The town of Kremmling, Colorado, is one of the coldest in the country, where high altitude and northerly winds push winter morning temperatures to 30 degrees below zero. And it’s in these sub-freezing temperatures that the school district’s electric school bus (which they’ve had since 2020) really shines.
“What we’re seeing is that these buses perform exceptionally well in cold weather, on a single battery charge,” said Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spokeswoman Casey Becker.
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It’s no wonder the Kremmling school district is pleased with the performance of its electric bus. While it’s true that electric vehicles have reduced range in extreme weather conditions, the same is true for gasoline and diesel vehicles. And, in the case of diesel, the vehicles may not start at all in the freezing Colorado winter.
Local NBC 9News reporter Matt Renoux recently reported on the success of the electric bus program.
The school district’s electric buses were funded in part by grants from the EPA, along with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Becker adds that a total of 49 electric school buses will be headed to nine Colorado School Districts in the coming months, with two more destined for Kremmling.
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Electric vehicles, such as electric buses, make a significant contribution to protecting the environment in several ways. They do not emit greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, which is the main culprit for climate change. Electric vehicles are more efficient than conventional cars that consume gasoline or oil. This means that they use less energy to travel the same distance, thus reducing overall energy consumption. Electric vehicles can use energy from renewable sources, such as solar and wind power. This reduces dependence on fossil fuels and helps promote sustainable energy.
Source: electrek
