In 2018, the IC Electric School Bus chargE™ toured North America, with the goal of showcasing a concept electric school bus to school bus industry stakeholders and groups focused on clean technologies and innovations. As an early example of Navistar's alliance with Volkswagen Truck and Bus (now known as TRATON), the chargE™ brings together multiple concepts and technologies that will shape the school bus of the future.

Taking to the track

As a presenting sponsor at the Green Transportation Summit & Expo in Tacoma, Washington, IC Bus continued to focus on why the school bus segment is a natural fit to bring electrification to the commercial vehicle market.

"As the U.S. thinks about cleaner commercial transportation moving forward, electrification is a big piece of the puzzle, and school buses, along with medium-duty vehicles, are the logical starting point," said Trish Reed, vice president and general manager, IC Bus. "These vehicles travel shorter distances and typically return to their base overnight, making the charging infrastructure less complex. And more significantly, they will provide immediate environmental benefits, especially in urban areas."

The range of the chargE can exceed 120 miles, while the powertrain can deliver up to 260 kW (about 349 peak horsepower). The electric motor in the chargE has about as much torque and horsepower as a competing 8-liter diesel engine. Having customers and industry stakeholders experience the technology was one of the primary objectives IC Bus wanted to demonstrate on the tour.

Check out Episode 2: Green Light Go of the IC Electric Bus Tour where the event in Tacoma, Washington marked the first time that customers and industry stakeholders were able to get behind the wheel of the electric bus to experience the technology first-hand, and it didn’t disappoint.