Salinas City Elementary School District Launches Electric Bus Fleet

SALINAS, Calif., May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Salinas City Elementary School District (SCESD) has added ten new electric school buses and ten new electric bus chargers to the District's school bus fleet. The new buses will primarily serve students with special needs, improving the students and drivers' experience by providing clean and quiet transportation.

SCESD serves the second most students in Monterey County and includes fifteen neighborhood schools, including the Salinas City Virtual Academy. The District strives to inspire and ensure students recognize their talents to excel, become empowered learners, and make valuable contributions to a dynamic global community.

After a competitive bid process, SCESD chose Highland Electric Fleets as an electrification partner to support its fleet modernization and its infrastructure upgrades. With the necessary infrastructure in place, SCESD's ten electric buses can obtain a full charge in 4.5 hours, providing an approximate range of 107 miles.

The ten EV buses will take over two routes that run an average of 14,400 miles each per school year, and eight routes that run an average of 8,100 miles each per school year.

The move to school bus electrification also supports SCESD's efforts to help prevent student absenteeism, which significantly impacts students' learning and social development. The National Institute of Health reports that pediatric asthma is the leading cause of student absenteeism and is associated with greater than ten million missed school days annually. However, children who ride electric school buses have an 8% lower risk of pediatric asthma hospitalization, according to the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

"SCESD's dedication to being a responsible leader in their community has been truly inspiring," said Duncan McIntyre, CEO of Highland. "We look forward to continuing to support SCESD's electrification journey, as well as other districts throughout California and nationwide."

The District will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the new buses at 9:30 am PT on Wednesday, May 15, at the District's Maintenance Yard, 39 Clark St., Salinas. District drivers will be on hand to offer rides on two of the new buses.

For more information, please contact Mary Duan, Director of Communications and Community Engagement, at [email protected]

About Highland Electric Fleets

Highland Electric Fleets is the leading provider of electrification-as-a-service for school districts, governments, and fleet operators in North America. Founded in 2019, Highland offers a unique suite of products that make it simple and affordable to upgrade to electric fleets today. Active in 30 states and Canada, Highland is responsible for the first use of electric school buses in a commercial vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program and the largest electric school bus project in the United States to date. To learn more, visit www.highlandfleets.com.

Media Contacts
Chris Orlando | Highland
[email protected]

SOURCE Highland Electric Fleets