Grants Up to $50,000 per School District
To help schools get electric school buses and then get the maximum benefit for saving energy and saving money from ESBs, Secure Futures Solar is offering grants up to $50,000 for qualifying schools that apply for funding from the EPA Clean School Bus Program by the deadline for first round funding on August 19, 2022.
Funding from Secure Futures Solar is not meant to replace EPA funding or cover the entire cost of a bus. Instead, our company’s grants are meant to close any gap between what schools get from the EPA and the total installed cost of 1-5 ESBs plus charging stations. Read on to learn the details and see if your school might qualify for our funding.
The Case for Electric School Buses
It’s easy to understand why more and more schools are trying to get electric school buses these days. ESBs are cleaner and cheaper to run than traditional diesel buses, which can expose students and drivers to air inside a bus that up to 12 times more polluted than air outside. Electric buses are also cleaner and cheaper to run than alt-fuel buses running on gasoline, CNG and propane – by far.
Along with a healthier ride, smooth handling and quiet operation make ESBs popular with drivers and students alike. And, with an average battery range over 100 miles, ESBs can now handle 90% of school bus routes on a single charge. ESBs are now practical for most schools and they’re better than the alternative in every way except one: ESBs can cost 3X to 4X times more than a bus that runs on fossil fuels.
For example, a Class 7 bus seating 90 passengers costs about $90,000 if it runs on diesel fuel, but the electric version can cost $325,000 or more. And that doesn’t include a charging station, which can add another $10,000 to $80,000.
New Funding Sources
ESB costs may come down in the future as batteries get cheaper and more powerful. But for now, few schools have the budget to buy an electric bus outright. The biggest barrier stopping schools from converting their school bus fleet to all-electric has been high upfront cost.
Fortunately, the biggest grant program ever to help schools get electric buses, the Clean School Bus Program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act in 2021, is now offering $5 billion over the next five years for ESBs and alternate fuel school buses and fueling infrastructure.
The first round of the program, administered by the EPA and offering $500 million in rebates, will give more money to schools with certain qualifications, including low income or rural:
Maximum Rebates in Round 1 of EPA Clean School Bus Program
| Class 7+ | Class 3-6 | Charging Station | |
| Priority Schools* | $375,000 | $285,000 | $20,000 |
| All Other Schools | $250,000 | $190,000 | $13,000 |
*Priority Schools are defined as those that meet one or more prioritization criteria including high-need school districts, low-income area and rural location. A list of all prioritized districts is available on the EPA website here.
Our Part
Secure Futures Solar wants to help schools get their share of this funding – especially schools in rural areas or those serving low-income students — so that they can get started converting their bus fleet to all electric. And, as a company devoted to helping schools save money on electricity for more than a decade, we also want to help schools leverage the powerful batteries in their electric school buses to cut their electric bills.
Helping schools get clean buses and then use those buses to save money on power is the thinking behind our Secure Futures Pilot Program for ESBs + V2B.
Vehicle-to-Building (V2B) is an emerging technology that can make electric school buses more affordable. During the summer vacation when most school buses are sitting idle, Secure Futures will help you use the power stored in the batteries of your electric school buses to run your own buildings. This will reduce your need for grid power in the hot summer months when power costs can spike, cutting your electric bill. By shaving your peak demand through solar power, we can save you even more money.
Here’s what the Pilot Program for ESBs + V2B offers:
- We will help you apply for funding from the Clean School Bus Program for 1-5 ESBs plus charging equipment by the program’s deadline for first round funding, August 19, 2022.
- We will cover the difference between EPA granted funds and the full cost of ESBs and charging equipment with a grant up to $50,000 per school district from our own Secure ESB + V2B Fund with a total of $200,000 that we’re awarding on a first-come basis.
- We will help you procure buses from leading equipment manufacturers, and we will install 1-2 Level 3 Fast Charging Stations. Both buses and charging stations will use bidirectional technology, giving them the ability to both charge a bus and then, later, to use the battery to power your buildings.
- Our pilot program will operate for 36 months to analyze the effectiveness of vehicle-to-building power backup and charging, with special attention on maximizing your money savings.
- After the pilot study period is completed, you will own both the electric buses and the charging stations and can operate them for the remainder of their expected lifespan of 15 years.
Secure Futures wants to help schools get their share of this funding – especially schools in rural areas or those serving low-income students — so that they can get started converting their bus fleet to all electric. And, as a company devoted to helping schools save money on electricity for more than a decade, we also want to help schools leverage the powerful batteries in their electric school buses to cut their electric bills.
If you’d like to know more, just contact us and we’ll get right back to you.
