Mississippi Power, Forrest County Agricultural High School celebrate state's first electric school bus in operation

GULFPORT, Miss., Dec. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Representatives from Mississippi Power and Forrest County Agricultural High School held a ribbon-cutting ceremony as the first electric school bus in the state of Mississippi began operating today in Brooklyn.

The full-size, Thomas C-2 Jouley all-electric bus replaces a diesel bus and will transport students within a 138-mile range on a single charge.

"We are excited for this monumental day for the state of Mississippi," said Marketing and Sales Director Giff Ormes. "Nine Mississippi school districts were recently awarded more than $36 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Working with our partners in education, we're able to stay at the forefront of adoption as electric school buses become a new norm."

Forrest County Agricultural High School is the only independently functioning agricultural high school in the state of Mississippi and was listed as a Mississippi landmark in 1996. The school plans to use the electric bus to provide students with transportation to sporting events and educational functions.

"Forrest County Agricultural High School has always embraced its roots and demonstrated innovation in the business and technology of agriculture," said FCAHS Foundation Board President Alania Cedillo. "The pursuit of an electric school bus is an extension of that philosophy, and we would like to thank Mississippi Power for their partnership, Empire Trucking for their support and FCAHS leadership for their inspiration."

"Forrest County Agricultural High School is thankful to be a part of this partnership with the FCAHS Foundation and Mississippi Power to receive an electric bus," said Forrest County Agricultural High School Superintendent Dr. Donna Boone. "As a rural school district, we are excited to have an opportunity to improve air quality with lower emissions and utilize the bus as a teaching tool for environmental citizenship."

The bus will run on two 113kWh batteries with a total capacity of 226kWh – enough energy to power an LED light bulb for more than two years without ever turning it off. A 60kW DC Fast Charger was installed at the school to fully charge the electric bus in three and a half hours.

"It is no secret that electric school buses are built to make tomorrow cleaner, greener and brighter," said Empire Bus Sales Manager Keith Winham. "However, they are also designed with innovations to make today's school routes smarter, more efficient and even safer. The future has arrived – right on schedule."

Now in its 97th year of operations, Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and affordable energy for more than 191,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power was honored with a Community Partner Impact Award from the Center for Energy Workforce Development for its innovative and ongoing efforts to build a diverse workforce. The Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve recently recognized Mississippi Power for its commitment to its military workforce. Mississippi Power has nearly 160MW of solar capacity at four locations across the company's service territory, including Southern Company's first project to combine the latest, cutting-edge solar technology with battery storage. Visit our websites at mississippipower.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

SOURCE Mississippi Power